China will offer economic assistance worth 1 billion RMB ($137.64 million) to Bangladesh, Premier Li Qiang announced yesterday.

Bangladesh foreign minister Hasan Mahmud, who accompanied Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing, told this to reporters there.

While Hasina emphasised on the need to reduce the trade gap with China, Li talked about importing more products from Bangladesh and expressed his desire to take ties with Bangladesh to a new height, Mahmud said.

Hasina requested her Chinese counterpart to import leather, jute, pharmaceutical and ceramic products from Bangladesh and invest in 100 special economic zones and the Bangabandhu Industrial Park, a news agency reported.

She invited top Chinese leaders to visit Bangladesh next year to celebrate the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

She also requested Li to include Bangladesh in the BRICS bloc in any format and Li assured her of support.