Govt Invites CRCC Investment in Infrastructure Development

A bilateral discussion meeting was held between a delegation from China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), led by its Chairman (State Minister rank) Dai Hegen, and the Local Government Division at the conference room of the Local Government Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam presided over the meeting.

Secretary of the Local Government Division Md. Shahidul Hasan, Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation Moha. Abdus Salam, Managing Director of Dhaka WASA Dr. Muha. Moniruzzaman, and senior officials of the Local Government Division were present at the meeting.

Delivering the chief guest's address, the State Minister highlighted Bangladesh's vast local government structure, stating that key development authorities such as LGED, WASA, city corporations, and the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) operate under the Local Government Division to manage infrastructure, water supply, drainage, and waste management nationwide. He noted that the Local Government Division spans over 500 upazila parishads, 13 city corporations, 330 municipalities, around 4,900 union parishads, and 61 zilla parishads, driving development activities across the country through this extensive network.

The State Minister stated that vast investment opportunities exist for Chinese enterprises in major development projects under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models, direct funding from the Chinese government, or co-financing from international development partners like the ADB. He expressed gratitude for the Chinese government's continuous contributions to waste-to-energy, water supply, and road and bridge construction sectors.

Addressing CRCC, he called upon them to utilize their modern technology and extensive experience to support the government's vision of transforming villages into towns and rebuilding overall infrastructure. He assured that if CRCC steps forward to invest directly or through PPP models in safe water supply under DPHE and WASA, modern drainage systems, rural and urban road communications, and bridge-culvert construction, the Local Government Division and Bangladesh will extend all possible cooperation. He affirmed that the current government guarantees full support to facilitate all development activities.

On behalf of the Chinese delegation, CRCC Chairman Dai Hegen stated that CRCC, with assets worth $300 billion across over 150 countries, has long maintained a top position in the global contracting sector. In Bangladesh, the organization currently manages 24 ongoing projects valued at $1.36 billion. CRCC has successfully completed several mega projects, including the Cox's Bazar Rail Link Project, Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway, the 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, and riverbank reclamation and infrastructure construction.

He further stated that CRCC is keen to deploy its innovative technologies in Bangladesh to support renewable energy, waste-to-energy, solar power, and arsenic-free safe drinking water supply in rural areas. CRCC aims to remain a long-term and trusted partner in ensuring balanced development across rural and urban regions of Bangladesh.

//DBTech/SMC/DSE/FOE//