Bangladesh First Foreign Policy: Partnerships, Economic Growth and Climate Leadership

Bangladesh entered into a new political era in February 2026 with the country’s first free, fair and credible election in two decades. This election brought back to power the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) with a two-thirds majority. During the election campaign, one of the primary promises of the BNP was to follow the ‘Bangladesh First’ policy in all spheres of governance. Under the leadership of BNP chairman and prime minister Tarique Rahman, the government is about to complete five months in office. The 'Bangladesh First' policy is also evident as the core foundation of the current government's administration and foreign policy.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently concluded a visit to Malaysia and China. While in China, he also attended the Summer Davos of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Throughout this visit, reflection of that electoral pledge of the BNP became evident again in Tarique Rahman's engagements, the government's policy priorities, and its diplomatic vision.
According to its election manifesto, ruling BNP is committed to further strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations with all friendly countries of the world on the basis of equality, fairness, pragmatism, mutual interest, and respect for international law and international norms. At the same time, one of the party’s key election pledges was to place economic diplomacy at the centre of foreign policy, with the goal of making Bangladesh a trillion-dollar economy by 2034 in mind. To achieve these goals, the government's key priorities are strengthening diplomatic ties with friendly nations, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), expanding export markets, and developing a skilled and competitive workforce.
During his visit to Malaysia, Tarique Rahman placed particular emphasis on expanding investment, free trade, and creating employment opportunities for Bangladeshis in that country. He urged his Malaysian counterpart to reopen the labour market for Bangladeshi workers, as well as to prioritise the recruitment of more skilled professionals from the country.
Tarique Rahman also held separate meetings with top executives of five leading Malaysian companies-- Petronas, Axiata, AirAsia, Perodua, and MMC Port. These discussions resulted in strong expressions of interest from the companies to invest in Bangladesh in the near future.

Climate Leadership and Green Diplomacy
The Bangladesh government has placed climate change and environmental protection at the centre of its policy vision. After assuming office, the prime minister's first multilateral engagement was attending as an invited guest at the 17th WEF ‘Summer Davos’. On the first day of the conference, Tarique Rahman met with WEF President and CEO Alois Zwinggi. The following day, he addressed the high-level session titled ‘Climate Leadership in a Shifting Global Landscape'. He also discussed climate cooperation during his sideline meeting with Kazakhstan's Prime Minister, Olzhas Bektenov.
In all meetings, Mr Rahman emphasised the need for stronger international cooperation to address climate change. During his meeting with the WEF's CEO, he called upon the WEF to play a more coordinated role in supporting vulnerable delta nations such as Bangladesh and other countries threatened by rising sea levels.
Alois Zwinggi expressed his interest in sharing Tarique Rahman's experience and initiative leadership in advancing global climate action. He stated Bangladesh's sustainable development initiative would attract greater international investment and climate financing.
Addressing an audience of more than 1,700 government representatives, policymakers, business leaders, and technology entrepreneurs from over 90 countries, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of global partnerships, technological innovation, and climate finance in responding to climate change. In his speech Prime Minister Tarique Rahman called for making the Climate Loss and Damage Fund from commitments into implementation, improving access to climate finance for vulnerable countries, strengthening the effectiveness of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and giving equal priority to adaptation alongside mitigation. He also reaffirmed his government's commitment to transforming Bangladesh into a climate-resilient nation.
On the sidelines of the WEF conference, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had a meeting with Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov; the Kazakh leader sought Bangladesh's support for Kazakhstan's proposal to establish a specialised United Nations agency dedicated to water resources. Mr Rahman expressed Bangladesh's support for the initiative, reaffirming his commitment to climate and environment.
Tarique Rahman’s commitment to environmental protection is reflected in his initiatives, including the excavation of 20,000 kilometres of canals, the plantation of 250 million trees over the next five years, and the expansion of renewable energy generation. The nation is already starting to witness these initiatives being implemented. It demonstrates that Bangladesh intends not merely to participate in global climate discussions but to take meaningful action at home. Owing to these initiatives, Tarique Rahman is being described as a ‘Green Prime Minister’.
Deepening Partnership with China
During his visit to China, Tarique Rahman held meetings with three top leaders of China: President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and National People's Congress Chairman Zhao Leji. The visit also focused on trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, agriculture, and industrial development. Following the meeting with the Chinese Premier, both countries signed 17 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). A joint communiqué was issued following Tarique Rahman's meeting with Xi Jinping.
Representatives from at least twelve leading Chinese companies—including Megarich Company, Honda Industries, and Chery Automobile Co. Ltd—met with Tarique Rahman and presented concrete investment proposals for Bangladesh. The combined potential value of these proposed investments exceeds US$9 billion.
Earlier, while addressing the ‘Invest Bangladesh’ business forum in China, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman declared that Bangladesh is ‘open for business and ready for the future.’ He reaffirmed his government's commitment to creating a business-friendly investment climate through regulatory reforms, a single-window investment system, one-stop services, stronger investor protection, and enhanced ease of doing business.
This government assumed office with a commitment to creating employment opportunities both at home and abroad. Bangladesh faces significant development financing needs and external economic challenges. To overcome these challenges and achieve the vision of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2034, Bangladesh needs investment, trade, industrialisation, and more employment opportunities. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visits to Malaysia and China therefore primarily focused on attracting foreign investment, strengthening economic partnerships, promoting skilled labour migration, and expanding Bangladesh's access to global markets.
Taken together, these three diplomatic engagements illustrate that the ‘Bangladesh First’ foreign policy is not rhetoric or strategic neutrality for its own sake. Rather, it represents a pragmatic and development-orientated diplomacy that seeks to diversify Bangladesh’s partnerships, maximise economic opportunities, strengthen climate leadership, and place Bangladesh's national interests at the centre of its engagement with the world. If Bangladesh successfully implemented its approach, it would become one of the core pillars of Bangladesh's foreign policy in the coming decade.
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The writer is Deputy Press Secretary 
to the Prime Minister, Government 
of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh