A delegation of 22-member Bangladesh political leaders, civil society activists, scholars and journalists have begun a 10-day visit to China.
The delegation's leaders confirmed on the BBC that they would hold talks with Chinese government officials and senior members of the ruling Communist Party.
Analysts say China is proposing, while diplomatic tensions are underway between Bangladesh and India on a range of issues.
This includes the removal of Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina, who lives in India for exile. Dhaka asked her to extradite, but Delhi refused.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a senior official of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led a delegation in Beijing, told the BBC: “This is basically a good-willed visit initiated by Beijing. ”
“This is unique because this time China has invited a team representing various groups in Bangladesh.”
Many delegation members were from the French Kuomintang and its allies. The French KMT, led by former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, is one of the main political parties in Bangladesh, except for the AWAMI coalition led by Hasina.
The delegation also included several delegates from the student movement who began a massive uprising against Hasina, which eventually removed the Prime Minister in August last year.
The interim government, led by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, is currently in charge.
It has been urging India to repatriate Hasina to face allegations of endangering humanity and money laundering, among other charges. The United Nations said the Hasina government has suppressed protesters in the uprising by about 1,400 people.
So far, India has shown no signs of Hasina, who has denied the charges.
Delhi and Dhaka have maintained close ties during Ms. Hasina's 15-year reign, and her critics widely believe she is pro-Indian. While maintaining close ties with Delhi, she is balanced with her relationship with Beijing.
After the fall of Hasina, Beijing strengthened its interactions with Bangladesh leaders, activists and delegations, including Islamic parties.
This week's visit comes after a meeting held by Touhid Hossain, a foreign policy adviser to the Bangladesh Interim Government and Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister.
This also marks the second visit by BNP officials in recent months, after Beijing held a BNP delegation at the end of last year.
Analysts say Beijing is trying to increase its foothold in Bangladesh, which has about 170 million people, due to a political vacuum and a lack of Indian influence.
China is Bangladesh's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totaling approximately US$24 billion (£19 billion) – the vast majority include China's exports to South Asian countries.
The Bangladeshi army also relies heavily on Chinese equipment and ammunition, 70% of which comes from Chinese supplies.
Compared with Beijing’s proposal, India has had very limited interactions with the Provisional Government and other Bangladesh political leaders over the past six months.
The French Kuomintang held protests in December accusing India of interfering in Bangladesh's internal affairs by presiding on Hasina. Some advisers to the Provisional Government also criticized Delhi on the same issue.
This criticism sparked a sharp reaction from Delhi.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said last week that Bangladesh would decide “what kind of relationship they want”.
He described the criticism of India by Bangladesh officials and politicians as “absolutely ridiculous.”
Some believe that such growing tensions between Dhaka and Delhi may push Bangladesh toward China.
The latest events show that Bangladesh has joined South Asian countries Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal as targets for Delhi and Beijing as superpowers compete for influence.
“I don't think India should consider the area of influence across the subcontinent in Delhi. This attitude will make India suffer,” Zhou Bo, a senior researcher at Peking University in Beijing, told the BBC.
