On the afternoon of December 25, 2002, Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Vice President of China, met with visiting Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at the Great Hall of the People.

Hu said that as friendly and close neighbors, the peoples of China and Bangladesh have traditional friendship. Bilateral relations have advanced stably since the establishment of diplomatic ties. The two countries enjoy mutual trust politically and mutual benefit economically, and extensive cooperation has been conducted in all fields. China-Bangladesh ties are characterized by mutual respect, understanding, support and close cooperation. Hu noted that China will continue the policy of adhering to China-Bangladesh friendship in the future, and together with the Bangladeshi side, push forward the existing friendly relations of cooperation.

On the relations between the parties of both countries, Hu briefed Zia on the 16th CPC National Congress. He said that the CPC and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party are both ruling parties and they are faced with the common tasks of economic development, improving people's living standards and keeping social stability. Hu stressed that to strengthen friendly exchanges between the two parties and share experiences will help each other to raise the quality of ruling and promote the development of their respective causes, adding that the CPC will work with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to further the exchanges and cooperation between the two parties, on the basis of the four principles of party-to-party relations.

Zia warmly congratulated Hu on his new post as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. She said the Bangladeshi government and people value ties with China and believe such relations will reach a higher level in the new century. She said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party also hopes to further the exchanges with the CPC and expand fields of cooperation.

Zia briefed Hu on the internal and external policies of the Bangladeshi government. She said the government has always played an active role in international affairs and is dedicated to peace and development in South Asia, and will continue to work to boost regional cooperation and strengthen regional cooperation and good-neighborly ties.