From March 3rd to 9th, 2023, Zhang Shaogang, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), led a delegation of enterprises to Bangladesh. The delegation attended the opening ceremony of the Bangladesh Business Summit 2023 and participated in a group meeting with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. Delegation members met with Zhang Xiangchen, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO); Tipu Munshi, Bangladeshi Commerce Minister; Jashim Uddin, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI); and Gazi Golam Murtoza, President of the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI). Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on cooperation were renewed or newly signed with the FBCCI and the BCCCI. Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, and Song Yang, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, were present at the above.

Zhang Shaogang introduced the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, stressing that China will pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, promote Chinese modernization and advance high-quality development to bring new development opportunities to countries everywhere, including Bangladesh. The CCPIT will consolidate the foundation and help the business communities from both countries achieve more practical results under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. In addition, the CCPIT will actively adopt measures to promote the export of high-quality products from Bangladesh to China and break new ground through innovation to expand cooperation between the Chinese and Bangladeshi business communities in law and standardization. The CCPIT welcomes friends from the Bangladeshi business community to visit China for various events, including the first China International Supply Chain Facilitation Expo, the Belt and Road CEO Conference and the Global Conference on the Rule of Law of Business Community.

The Bangladeshi side said it has seen political stability and years of high economic growth. With enormous development potential and low labor costs, Bangladesh welcomes Chinese investors to seek business opportunities in the country to deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

During the visit, Zhang Shaogang and the delegation members held discussions with the heads of Chinese-funded enterprises in Bangladesh. The delegation conducted an on-site survey at the construction site of the Padma Bridge, undertaken by the China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd (MBEC).