Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived in Bangladesh on Monday for a two-day visit including talks on improving defence ties and building a deepwater port, officials said.
Xi, who is likely to succeed Hu Jintao as president, will next head to Laos, New Zealand and Australia as China seeks to boost its influence but also reassure regional allies.
The Dhaka visit was a "very important" sign of expanding relations between the two nations, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dipu Moni told reporters ahead of the trip.
An economic cooperation deal is due to be signed, under which China would donate 5.5 million dollars to the South Asian nation, Moni said.
Dhaka has also sought Chinese help to build a multi-billion-dollar port on a south-eastern island and to launch a telecommunications satellite, she said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to meet Xi later Monday.
China is a leading military supplier to Bangladesh, and Dhaka reportedly wants to buy two frigates from Beijing to protect its interests in the oil- and gas-rich Bay of Bengal.
China has emerged as Bangladesh's top source of imports in the past three years, replacing its traditional ally India. Bangladesh imported goods worth around 4.5 billion dollars from China in the last fiscal year.
Copyright 2010  AFP South Asian Edition
