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Published : 16 Jun 2026, 08:43 PM
The government’s approval of a Tk 41.89 billion China-funded economic zone has triggered questions over whether its timing is linked to the prime minister’s scheduled visit to Beijing.
The project to develop a Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) in Chattogram’s Anwara Upazila was cleared on Tuesday at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), chaired by Tarique Rahman.
The plan, first agreed in principle in 2016 during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka, had remained stalled for nearly a decade due to procedural and administrative complications.
On Tuesday, it was approved under the “Supporting Infrastructure Project for Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone” over 316.87 hectares of government land under a government-to-government arrangement.
The total cost has been set at Tk 41.89 billion.
Of this, Tk 17.22 billion will come from government funding, while China will provide Tk 24.67 billion in loans.
The project is scheduled for implementation from January 2027 to December 2031.
However, the timing of the approval immediately drew attention in political and administrative circles, particularly in light of the prime minister’s scheduled foreign visits.
When asked whether the decision was linked to the visit, Planning Minister Zonayed Saki dismissed the suggestion.
“Whether it has any connection with the prime minister’s visit is for you to find out,” he told reporters, adding that the project had been processed through “routine” evaluation and verification.
He said the proposal was placed for approval after standard scrutiny and described the clearance as part of routine administrative work under the current government.
Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal had earlier said the prime minister’s China trip, following his trip to Malaysia from Jun 21–22, would deepen bilateral ties and take cooperation to a “new height”.
The CEIZ proposal had previously been returned from an earlier ECNEC meeting, adding to questions over the timing of its final approval.
Officials at the planning ministry said all projects were being processed through a standardised review system focused on verification and integration before ECNEC clearance.
The approved project includes extensive infrastructure works such as roads, jetties, water reservoirs, gas transmission lines, a central effluent treatment plant, solid waste systems, and power substations.
According to the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), the project is expected to generate more than 100,000 jobs and attract at least $500 million in foreign direct investment once operational.
Other approvals on Tuesday included four additional projects across the water resources and education sectors, involving river protection, flood control rehabilitation, and technical school expansion across 100 Upazilas.
