Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met the visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and offered Beijing's support for the new government in Dhaka.
On the final day of his five-day visit, Rahman met Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi told Rahman that China supports Bangladesh's new government in its smooth administration and stands ready to carry out high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Dhaka.
Xi said China is willing to map out key cooperation with Bangladesh and tap into the potential for collaboration in green and low-carbon development, digital economy, information technology, artificial intelligence and other fields, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Before meeting Xi, Rahman met Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China and discussed issues related to bilateral ties.
On Thursday, Rahman held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, after which they signed 13 agreements. The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation on the management of the Teesta and other rivers, after a separate meeting, earlier on Thursday, between Rahman and Chinese Water Resources Minister Li Guoying.
The visit also carries broader diplomatic significance, as Rahman seeks to balance ties with both Beijing and New Delhi. His predecessor, Sheikh Hasina, was widely seen as closer to India, and while relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have improved since Rahman took office, disagreements, including over border tensions, remain.
Rahman told Xi that in order to reduce Bangladesh's trade deficit, China could help diversify Bangladesh's exports to the country.
"We request China to consider import our fresh mangoes, jackfruit, guava, aquatic products, raw leather, jute products and pharmaceutical products," Rahman said, according to a media pool report.
Bangladesh needs China's support in "implementing our major signature projects and upgrading and modernisation of our existing industrial units," he added.
Bangladesh joined China's Belt and Road Initiative in 2016, Xi's flagship infrastructure and development strategy aimed at connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.
Rahman met with Premier Li Qiang on Thursday where they signed multiple cooperation agreements to solidify bilateral ties, state media reported.
Bangladesh owes China $6.2 billion, World Bank data shows, with the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank having lent a further $2.3 billion. Delhi has lent its neighbour just $1.6 billion.
Meanwhile, Chinese firms have invested a further $7.7 billion, around half of which was in Bangladesh's energy sector, data from the American Enterprise Institute think tank shows.
China has become more cautious about financing, said Chim Lee, senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit in Beijing.
"Not least because it tends to be looking for key logistics corridors these days that can be scaled up, and Bangladesh is a bit tricky because it just doesn't provide the same kind of corridor as say Central Asia or Myanmar," Lee said.