Bangladesh Army Chief’s China Visit Signals Deeper Defence Industrial Ties

Reading Time: 4 minutes Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, SBP, OSP, SGP, psc, has returned from a week-long official visit to China, where he held a series of high-level meetings with senior military officials and defence industry leaders. The visit underscored Dhaka’s intent to deepen its long-standing defence cooperation with Beijing, particularly in the fields of modernisation, technology transfer, and indigenous defence industrial development. Strengthening Strategic Partnership Upon arrival at PLA Headquarters on 22 August, the Army Chief was received with a Guard of Honour and met General Chen Hui, Political Commissar of the PLA Ground Forces. Discussions centred on strategic cooperation, training exchanges, and Chinese support in addressing the Rohingya crisis. Crucially, the Army Chief pressed the importance of Chinese assistance in advancing Bangladesh’s fledgling defence industry — a theme that carried through much of his visit. NORINCO Cooperation and New Acquisitions On 23 August, General Waker-uz-Zaman met Chen