China and Bangladesh pledged to further promote their strategic partnership of cooperation on Thursday during talks held at the Great Hall of the People between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, who arrived in Beijing for an official visit at the invitation of the Chinese side, vowing to accelerate construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM EC).

Bangladesh is China's important cooperative partner in the South Asia region and the two countries have enjoyed mutual understanding and support of each other since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975, Li said.

Premier Li pointed out that China is ready to take its strategic partnership of cooperation with Bangladesh, formed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's fruitful visit to Bangladesh in 2016, as an opportunity to promote mutual political trust, deepen cooperation and forge closer communication between the two countries.

Li said that China and Bangladesh are both developing countries with massive populations, adding that the practical cooperation between the two would unleash great potentials and prospects in the future.

The two countries agreed to jointly speed up the construction of the BCIM EC under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to better integrate a promising market of approximately three billion people, enhance communication and coordination in geopolitical affairs, and positively contribute to regional peace, stabilization and development.

Li stressed that China also hopes to better align the agenda of the BRI with Bangladesh's developmental strategy, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields, discuss joint feasibility study on free trade agreements, expand imports of high-quality Bangladeshi products into the Chinese market, promote balanced trade between the two countries, facilitate investment and personnel exchanges between the two countries and continue to provide assistance to Bangladesh's development.

Hasina congratulated on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and said that Bangladesh-China relations are at the best of times. Both countries are committed to develop friendly relations based on principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence.

Hasina said Bangladesh is currently pursuing the building of a "Sonar Bangla," and is willing to actively participate in the joint construction of the BRI and the BCIM EC to boost bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, service industry and infrastructure.

After the meeting, Premier Li and his Bangladeshi counterpart witnessed the signing of bilateral agreements on business investment, cultural tourism and water conservation. The two countries will also issue a joint communique.