Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming official visits to Malaysia and China are expected to open new avenues of bilateral cooperation, with a series of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) likely to be signed, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said on Saturday.

Briefing journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, the Foreign Secretary said the Prime Minister will visit Malaysia on June 21-22 and China from June 23 to 26 as part of efforts to deepen Bangladesh’s economic, diplomatic and strategic engagement with the two Asian partners.

Tarique Rahman will leave Dhaka for Kuala Lumpur on Sunday afternoon at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, marking his first official foreign visit after assuming office.

During the Malaysia visit, the two Prime Ministers are scheduled to hold a one-to-one meeting on June 22, followed by bilateral talks between the high-level delegations of the two countries.

The discussions are expected to focus on expanding trade and investment, energy cooperation, halal economy, semiconductor industry, agriculture, education and people-to-people connectivity.

Bangladesh will also raise issues related to the recruitment of more Bangladeshi workers in various Malaysian sectors, seek Malaysia’s support for Bangladesh’s bid to become an ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner, and discuss continued support for the repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Two documents, one on cultural exchange and another related to a free trade agreement, are likely to be signed during the Malaysia visit.

After concluding his Malaysia tour, the Prime Minister will travel to the Chinese port city of Dalian on the evening of June 22 to attend the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, commonly known as the Summer Davos.

The Foreign Secretary said Bangladesh and China are expected to sign 15 to 17 documents during the visit, including 13 MoUs, two agreements, one action plan and one protocol.

In Dalian, the Prime Minister is expected to meet the President and CEO of the World Economic Forum and hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders attending the forum. He is also scheduled to speak at a session titled “Climate Leadership in a Shifting Global Landscape.”

On June 24, he will travel to Beijing, where he will hold meetings with senior Chinese leaders and participate in a Bangladesh Investment Forum organised by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) to promote investment opportunities in Bangladesh.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on June 25, followed by the signing of several cooperation documents in the presence of the two leaders.

On June 26, Tarique Rahman is expected to meet Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji before holding a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The meetings will cover bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, with both sides expected to discuss ways to further strengthen the Bangladesh-China strategic partnership.

Foreign Secretary Siam expressed optimism that the Prime Minister’s visits to Malaysia and China would create new opportunities for cooperation, particularly in trade, investment and broader economic engagement.