Photo : The Bangladesh Parliament

DHAKA, June 12, 2026 (BSS) – Deputy Speaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad Barrister Kayser Kamal has called for increased Chinese investment and cooperation in a wide range of sectors, including the construction of a direct Kunming–Chattogram road connectivity project and the long-delayed Teesta Barrage.
 
He made the call today while visiting the Second Hospital of Kunming Medical University during a field inspection programme in Kunming, as part of the 7th China–South Asia Cooperation Forum and the 10th China–South Asia Expo held in China’s Yunnan Province at the invitation of the provincial governor.
 
The Deputy Speaker said there are significant opportunities for expanding collaboration between Bangladesh and China in the health sector.
 
He noted that if facilities such as accommodation, language support, treatment cost reduction, visa processing, and other logistical services are simplified for Bangladeshi patients in Kunming, many would choose the city for advanced medical treatment.
 
He also urged opportunities for Bangladeshi doctors, technicians, nurses, and other professionals to work in hospitals in Kunming.
 
Senior officials of the hospital, including Deputy Director General He Tao, Wang Xiangkun, and President of Kunming Medical University Prof. Xia Xueshan, were present during the visit.
 
They assured the visiting parliamentary delegation that ongoing joint China–Bangladesh healthcare cooperation would be further strengthened. They also expressed readiness to simplify visa, accommodation, and related facilities for Bangladeshi students studying or planning to study at Kunming Medical University.
 
After the hospital visit, the delegation led by the Deputy Speaker held a bilateral exchange meeting with Wang Ning, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Yunnan Provincial Committee, at the Haizheng Garden Hotel.
 
During the meeting, Barrister Kayser Kamal said Bangladesh has “returned to the path of democracy” through a free, fair, and neutral election held on February 12, after nearly one and a half decades, and conveyed greetings on behalf of the newly elected Prime Minister and the people of Bangladesh.
 
He also thanked the Yunnan provincial leadership for facilitating his official visit to China, describing it as his first official visit despite having travelled to the country previously.
 
The Deputy Speaker further informed the CPC Yunnan Secretary that the second foreign visit of the Leader of the House, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, will take place in China in the last week of June.
 
He extended an invitation for the CPC Yunnan Secretary to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time, which was accepted with appreciation, with hopes of an eventual visit.
 
During the exchange, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir called for expanded Chinese investment in Bangladesh across trade, infrastructure, tourism, health, education, agriculture, and leather processing sectors.
 
He also thanked the Yunnan CPC leadership for providing high-level participation and special recognition to the Bangladeshi parliamentary and business delegations at the Kunming forums and expo.
 
National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, BNP lawmaker Engineer Khaled Hossain, reserved independent MP Jesmin Sultana Jui, Bangladesh Ambassador to Beijing Nazlul Alam, and senior officials from the Bangladesh Consulate in Kunming and the Yunnan provincial government were also present among others.
 
After lunch, the delegation visited a historic village, located about 30 kilometres from Kunming, known for its medicinal herbal heritage linked to the birthplace and memory of Xi Jiang, regarded as a pioneer of herbal medicine.