Bangladesh will propose to China the granting of visa-on-arrival for all Bangladeshi nationals, especially for those travelling on business, tourism and medical treatment purposes, during today's home minister-level meeting between the two countries. The talks would be held at the conference room of the home ministry at the Secretariat, with a view to strengthening bilateral relations between the countries, according sources in the foreign affairs and home ministries.
Bangladesh now provides on-arrival visa to Chinese citizens, though the Chinese government provides such visa to only Bangladeshi diplomats and officials, said the sources.
Talking to The Independent, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said he would propose to his Chinese counterpart the provision of granting on-arrival visa for all Bangladeshi citizens.
“We'll want this from the Chinese government on a reciprocal basis as we already provide on-arrival visa to Chinese citizens. Other bilateral issues like security training cooperation will also be discussed,” he added.
A senior official of the Security Service Division of the home ministry told this correspondent that all Bangladeshi citizens, including businesspersons, patients and tourists, are likely to get ‘on-arrival visa’ for visiting China under the proposed arrangement after both parties sign the agreement.
During the visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping to Bangladesh in October 2016, Dhaka had raised the issue of signing a ‘visa-on-arrival’ agreement with China for Bangladeshi businesspersons as part of strengthening the relation between the two countries.
Sources say the ministry concerned has prepared a draft proposal titled "Visa exemption for all Bangladeshi nationals travelling to China" for placing it during the home minister-level talks today.
During the meeting, both the delegations, led by the home ministers of their respective countries, will discuss cooperation on law enforcement issues to exchange information and intelligence on crime and terrorism, provision of giving technical support to Bangladesh law enforcement departments, and coordination and promotion of exchange of visits of law enforcement officers.
In the talks, the high-power delegations of the two countries will also discuss the establishment of a mechanism to set up an annual meeting mechanism (director general/equivalent-level)
against terrorism. They will follow up the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on counter-terrorism between the two ministries signed in October 2016, fixation of venue for the first meeting and the establishment of a Joint Working Group on the security protection of major projects funded by China.
At the bilateral meeting, some issues, such as a training programme for the fire service and civil defence department, the Chinese proposal for implementation of the ‘Development of Dhaka City Digital Monitoring System (Safe Dhaka City)’ project, and Chinese support to the repatriation process of displaced Rohingyas, are likely to come up.
Besides these, a plan of action on law enforcement training cooperation and a cooperation document on the establishment of a Joint Working Group are likely to be signed during the meeting.
Two other letters of exchange on police equipment aid and the China-Bangladesh public security joint innovation programme will also be signed during the talks.
For attending the bilateral talks, a high-power delegation, led by the Chinese public security minister, arrived in Dhaka yesterday. It will call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 26.
So far, the government has signed agreements with 29 countries for on-arrival visa for officials and the diplomats only.
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