11 Chinese companies interested in investing $9.21 billion in Bangladesh

11 leading Chinese companies have proposed to invest a total of $9.21 billion in various sectors of Bangladesh, including energy, infrastructure, technology, education and industry. The companies' CEOs and senior officials presented these investment plans in a meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chairman Ashiq Chowdhury said that political and economic stability has returned to the country after the new government took office, which has played an important role in increasing the confidence of foreign investors. He said that Bangladesh has published a five-year tax outlook for the first time to ensure long-term investment, which is working as a positive message for investors.

The proposed investments include gas field development, waste-to-energy plant, Mongla Port Economic Zone, smart meter manufacturing, cold-chain logistics, lithium battery factory, e-waste recycling, railway component assembly, Dhaka-Chittagong highway development, construction of modern applied universities and technical education parks, and establishment of Chinese herbal plant-based industries. The largest investment proposal has come in the PPP project of Dhaka-Chittagong highway, which has a potential value of 4.5 billion US dollars.

BIDA said that if implemented, these investments will have a major positive impact on the country's industrialization, infrastructure development, technological capacity building and employment creation. Especially, new investments in the Mongla and Payra port-centric industrialization, agriculture, energy, transport and higher education sectors are expected to further strengthen Bangladesh's economic growth.