DHAKA, April 7: Dhaka and Beijing on Thursday signed nine agreements on the first day of the Chinese premier’s visit to Bangladesh.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived on Thursday afternoon in a two-day state visit on the second leg of his four-nation tour in South Asia. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia received her Chinese counterpart at Zia International Airport.

Mr Wen who, led a 102-member entourage comprising three cabinet ministers, four vice ministers, senior officials and a large number of businesspeople, was accorded a red carpet reception.

Briefing journalists in the evening, Bangladesh’s foreign secretary, Hemayetuddin, said the two premiers had exclusive talks at the prime minister’s office, which were followed by talks between officials leading to nine deals for cooperation.

The agreements signed between the two countries also included one for cooperation in peaceful usage of nuclear energy. It was signed by Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Bangladesh Minister for Science and ICT Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan.

The foreign secretary explained the deal was “absolutely” for peaceful use in the field of nuclear medicine energy, agriculture and biotechnology.

The ministry of public security of China and the ministry of home affairs of Bangladesh struck an agreement for cooperation for capacity building of the law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh.

Chinese Minister for Commerce Bo Xillai and Bangladesh Finance Minister M. Saifur Rahman signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation and a framework agreement on provision of concessional lending by China to Bangladesh.