New Delhi: Even as the Bangladesh foreign minister chose India as his first destination abroad to visit since the election of the new government in Dhaka, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party has decided to send a mammoth delegation to China, rekindling the party's decades-old links with China that has been an irritant in the party's ties with New Delhi.

The delegation next week will be led by BNP secretary general and local government minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

The BNP delegation will hold discussions with the minister of the international department of the Communist Party of China on "cooperation and exchange of experiences".

Other delegation members include the PM's public administration adviser Ismail Zabiullah, BNP chairman's adviser Nazmul Haque Nannu, BNP joint secretary general Khairul Kabir Khokon, BNP cultural affairs secretary Ashraf Uddin Ujjal and sitting and former MPs.

Foreign minister Khalilur Rahman is scheduled to visit China towards month-end. During the visit, Rahman is likely to meet Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.