News Desk

In a significant diplomatic gesture, the Deputy of the China National Congress and Communist Party of China (CPC) Politburo member, Li Hongzhong, has formally invited Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to visit China. The invitation was extended during a high-level bilateral meeting between delegations of the BNP and CPC, held today at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The BNP delegation, led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, arrived in China earlier this week for a series of meetings aimed at strengthening party-to-party and bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the People’s Republic of China.

According to an official post from the BNP Media Cell, the CPC warmly welcomed the visiting delegation, with Li Hongzhong personally receiving them and opening the floor to wide-ranging discussions on regional cooperation, party exchanges, and future diplomatic engagement.

At the beginning of the meeting, Li Hongzhong extended an official invitation to Tarique Rahman, who has been living in exile in the United Kingdom for more than a decade. The symbolic invitation is being interpreted by political analysts as a notable development in China’s approach to South Asian politics, where Beijing continues to maintain close ties with ruling parties while simultaneously engaging with major opposition forces.

Li Hongzhong emphasized the CPC’s intention to foster stronger ties not only between the two political parties but also between the people of China and Bangladesh. He expressed optimism that these interactions would pave the way for deeper political understanding and cooperation on issues ranging from trade to regional stability.

In response, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul praised China’s leadership in fostering regional peace and stability and underscored the importance of making such initiatives more inclusive. He proposed broadening the scope of bilateral ties into multilateral frameworks, calling for enhanced collaboration that involves not just governments, but also political parties, civil societies, and economic institutions.

This meeting marks a rare high-profile engagement for the BNP on the international stage, especially at a time when domestic political space in Bangladesh has been significantly constrained for opposition parties. Tarique Rahman, who has been a controversial figure in Bangladeshi politics and currently resides in London, continues to serve as the de facto leader of the BNP.

While no date has been publicly announced for Tarique’s potential visit, the invitation itself could signal a shift in China’s political balancing strategy in South Asia, offering engagement across the political spectrum in Bangladesh.