For millions of Bangladeshis living south of the Padma River, a journey that once took hours and depended on ferries is now significantly faster since the opening of the Padma Bridge in 2022. 

Built by Chinese companies, the bridge has improved internal connectivity by linking major economic corridors and facilitating the movement of passengers and freight. 

The flagship Padma Bridge typifies the two countries' bilateral cooperation, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, a senior adviser to Bangladesh's Ministry of Finance and Planning Affairs, told Chinese outlet The Paper in an interview published in May, noting that the bridge's rail link is estimated to directly benefit around 80 million people.

"The project has become a model of cooperation between Bangladesh and China. Such projects have played an important role in improving urban services and reducing logistics costs. They have also created a large number of jobs and strengthened Bangladesh's development resilience," he said.

China and Bangladesh elevated bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2024, strengthening cooperation across various sectors such as infrastructure, energy transition, digital economy, healthcare, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges.

Green energy transition

Cooperation in the energy sector has increasingly focused on renewables. Chinese enterprises have participated in solar and wind power projects in Bangladesh, supporting efforts to diversify the energy mix and wean the country off fossil fuels.

Bangladesh aims to increase the share of renewable energy to 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2040, and expects further cooperation with China in advancing its energy transition.

'Smart Bangladesh' 

The 2024 agreement also highlighted cooperation under the "Smart Bangladesh" vision, including cloud computing and digital infrastructure development.

According to Titumir, China has contributed to Bangladesh's digital transformation through telecommunications infrastructure, 5G readiness, mobile financial services and data center and cloud development, improving digital capacity and service reliability.

'Small and beautiful' projects

Beyond grand infrastructure and digital ambitions, the two countries have also cooperated on "small and beautiful" projects that have delivered tangible benefits to local people. 

In 2024, China and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) cooperated on an initiative that provided 1,425 sewing machines to Bangladeshis, helping to create employment opportunities and boost household income, particularly among women.

In 2025, a drinking water purification system funded by China's Yunnan province was handed over to Udon School in Dhaka, now serving over 500 students and teachers.