DR Yunus to hold breakfast meetings with Chinese, Korean investors to fast-track investment

April 8, 2025, 5:52 pm

BussinessDesk

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus announced on Tuesday that he would host a breakfast meeting for both the Korean and Chinese investors to address any investment-related concerns and fast-track their investment in Bangladesh.The Chief Adviser made these remarks during a meeting with a group of Chinese investors at the State Guest House Jamuna.At least 30 prominent Chinese investors, representing major global companies in sectors such as infrastructure, power, transport, renewable energy, textiles, mobile telecommunications, waste management, logistics, and IT services, attended the meeting, said Chief Adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam.Earlier in the day, several dozen South Korean investors also met with the Chief Adviser.BIDA Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun and SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed also attended the meeting.The investors are visiting Bangladesh to participate in the ongoing Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025.

Prof Yunus said the investment climate, trade and labour-related reforms introduced by the Interim Government would attract more foreign investment to Bangladesh and facilitate the relocation of more Chinese and South Korean manufacturing plants to the country.

“Over the last eight months, we aimed to make it easier to invest in Bangladesh. The country has never had such a conducive environment for foreign investment before,” said the Chief Adviser.

He added that the Executive Chairman of BIDA (Bangladesh Investment Development Authority) would host monthly breakfast meetings with Korean and Chinese investors on the 10th of each month.

While the meetings will be hosted by BIDA, the Chief Adviser will attend some of them to listen to a wide range of issues raised by the investors.

The Chief Adviser also proposed establishing a dedicated hotline and call centre service for foreign investors to register complaints and resolve issues promptly. “Any investor can call this number and register their complaints, and we will respond accordingly,” he said.The delegation was led by Pauline Ngan, Vice President of Mainland Headgear Company Limited, one of the largest companies in the world.Prof Yunus also shared details of his recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where President Xi expressed his administration’s commitment to encouraging top Chinese companies to invest in Bangladesh.

“I was touched by his gesture,” the Chief Adviser said of President Xi.

Officials from the Chinese companies expressed interest in investing in both the dedicated Chinese economic zone in Chittagong and the planned Chinese economic zone in Mongla, where China is set to modernise a seaport.

Several companies indicated their intention to establish Bangladesh as their South Asian production and operations hub, responding to the Chief Adviser’s call to transform the country into a top global manufacturing center.

“We have a readymade market here, and in addition, you can cater to landlocked countries such as Nepal and Bhutan,” Prof Yunus added.

Some of the larger Chinese companies also expressed interest in investing in electric vehicle (EV) transition, lithium-ion battery production, renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, and offshore photovoltaic solar power generation.