Chief adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus is set to visit China on 26 March and his visit will take Bangladesh-China relations to a new height, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said on Sunday.

"On 27 March, Prof Yunus will address the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) conference focusing on the changing role of Asia in the world," he said at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka this afternoon.

Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen today called on Prof Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna to discuss the upcoming China tour of the chief adviser.

Highlighting the outcomes of the meeting, Shafiqul said the Boao Forum for Asia is called Davos of the East where top leaders of Asia and different countries and chief executive officers (CEOs) of giant global firms participate.

On the sidelines of the forum, he said, the chief adviser is likely to have meetings with CEOs of some companies.

The first bilateral meeting between Prof Yunus and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be held in Beijing on 28 March, the press secretary said.

Issues related to bilateral interest will be discussed in the meeting, he added.

Bangladesh wants to take its relations with China to a new height aiming to turn Bangladesh into a manufacturing hub, Shafiqul said, adding, "They (China) think that this would be the most important visit by the Bangladeshi leader."

Noting that the focus of the government will be on attracting the Chinese companies to relocate their factories to Bangladesh, he said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York last year, the chief adviser talked to the Chinese foreign minister and sought Chinese investment in Bangladesh’s solar energy sector.

Responding to the chief adviser's invitation, two Chinese companies, including the world's leading supplier of solar PV solutions Longi, will soon set up their offices and manufacturing plants in Bangladesh, he said.

During the visit, the press secretary said, Prof Yunus will deliver a lecture at Peking University (PKU) and the university will confer an honorary doctorate degree on the Bangladesh chief adviser.

He said the chief adviser will also visit the Chinese hi-tech parks.

Bangladesh wants to bring a revolution in the manufacturing sector and that is why Chinese companies will be invited to invest in Bangladesh, Shafiqul said.

During the meeting between Prof Yunus and Yao Wen, he said, the Chinese envoy informed the chief adviser that the Chinese firms made a larger investment in Bangladesh after 5 August last year. 

"We hope that more Chinese companies will come to Bangladesh with their investment after the visit (of Prof Yunus)," the press secretary added.

He said the chief adviser will hold talks with Chinese hospital chains to invite them to explore business potential and set up hospitals in Bangladesh under joint venture initiatives.