DHAKA : Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will leave here for Malaysia this afternoon on an official visit at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier is scheduled to depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka for Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon.

After completing his visit to Malaysia, he will travel directly to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s two nations’ visit- Malaysia and China-, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam held a media briefing at the foreign ministry yesterday.

He said Bangladesh and China are expected to sign 15 to 17 bilateral instruments including 13 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), two agreements, one action plan and one protocol during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to China, with discussions on the long-awaited Teesta project.

Responding to a query, the foreign secretary said there would also be discussions regarding the Teesta project during the visit.

“This is the first overseas visit by the Prime Minister since the government assumed office in February this year,” Siam said.

He noted that the delegations accompanying the Prime Minister to Malaysia and China have been kept relatively small, comprising 27 to 28 members respectively.

“We tried to keep it at a reasonable level,” he told reporters.

He said that the visits are being viewed as a major diplomatic initiative aimed at strengthening Bangladesh’s economic partnerships, attracting foreign investment and enhancing regional connectivity.

On June 25, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

He will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 26 as part of his official visit.

During his stay in China, the Prime Minister will attend the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, widely known as the Summer Davos Forum, to be held in Dalian, Liaoning Province, from June 23 to 25.

More than 1,700 participants from over 90 countries and regions are expected to join the forum, themed “Innovating at Scale”, where discussions will focus on global economic trends, technological advancement and innovation-driven growth.

The Malaysia leg of the tour would focus on expanding trade, labour market cooperation and investment opportunities, while the China visit would underscore Bangladesh’s commitment to deepening cooperation in infrastructure, technology, connectivity and development sectors.

The Prime Minister is expected to return home on Friday night.

Additional Foreign Secretary (Diplomacy and Other Priority Matters) AKM Shahidul Karim and other senior officials of the ministry were present at the briefing.