Bangladesh and China have agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in cyber security, law and order, technological capacity building and training exchange.

The understanding came at a meeting between Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen at the minister’s office at Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday, said a press release.

The meeting discussed various aspects of security, maintenance of law and order, combating cybercrime, enhancing technological capabilities and exchanging training between the two countries.

At the outset, Yao Wen informed the minister that he would leave Bangladesh after completing his tenure in early October.

He also conveyed greetings to the home minister from China’s minister of public security and handed over an invitation for Salahuddin Ahmed to visit China and attend a public security forum, where the two countries’ home ministers could hold a bilateral meeting.

Both sides stressed the importance of technological capacity building and cooperation in tackling cybercrime.

Yao said China had trained more than 100 Bangladeshi law enforcement personnel over the past two years in cybercrime, public security management, traffic and transportation management, immigration and UN peacekeeping operations.

Salahuddin thanked China for the cooperation and said the Bangladesh government was taking steps to establish a specialised Cyber Security Unit for the police and develop the necessary infrastructure.

He said plans were being implemented to establish digital forensic and cyber laboratories from the thana, district and divisional levels up to the central level.

Yao suggested sending a team of Chinese experts to Bangladesh to visit cyber laboratories and exchange technical expertise on preventing cybercrime.

In response, Salahuddin announced that Bangladesh would send a five-member high-level delegation to China led by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), comprising an additional inspector general of police, an additional deputy inspector general and cyber and digital forensic specialists.

The delegation will observe China’s cyber laboratories and technologies and prepare specific proposals for establishing forensic laboratories and procuring equipment in Bangladesh.

Yao said China was currently Bangladesh’s largest development partner and a leading investor, and requested the minister to ensure the overall security of Chinese citizens, businessmen and investors working in Bangladesh.

In response, the minister said, “China is not only our leading investor but also one of our major strategic development partners.”

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring the highest level of protection and security for Chinese citizens, businessmen and personnel working on development projects in Bangladesh.

Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir, Additional IGP and CID Chief Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain and Additional Secretary of the Political and Immigration Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, among others, attended the meeting.