China and Bangladesh are set to strengthen their ties further following a meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on the sidelines of the Boao Forum. The Chief Adviser’s office reported that President Xi Jinping places great importance on Yunus’s visit and expects Bangladesh to achieve prosperity under his leadership. Reaffirming Bangladesh’s commitment to the “One China” policy, Yunus highlighted that “Dhaka takes pride in being the first South Asian country to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative.” Bangladesh has requested China to lower its loan interest rate from 3% to 1-2% and to waive commitment fees for Bangladeshi projects. In response, Ding Xuexiang announced that China would extend duty-free and quota-free access for Bangladeshi goods until 2028, two years beyond Bangladesh’s expected graduation to a middle-income country.