Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the elevation of bilateral relations to the status of a comprehensive strategic partnership on July 10, 2024, in Beijing.[i] This development has been met with concern by India. China, however, has emphasized that this cooperation does not target any third party and aims to contribute to overall peace and stability in South Asia. This cooperation is regarded as an example of friendly relations and mutually beneficial collaboration, particularly among countries known as the “Global South.”
The timing of Hasina’s visit to China, occurring just weeks after her engagements in India, is highly significant for comprehending Bangladesh’s strategic balancing policy between its two neighboring countries.
In the context of elevating China-Bangladesh relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, various steps have been taken to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen strategic cooperation. These steps include the signing of 21 agreements, including two renewed Memoranda of Understanding, and the announcement of seven new projects. These agreements encompass trade and investment as well as bilateral relations and various regional and international issues. Additionally, this partnership involves closer economic ties financed by Chinese policy banks. Agreements have been concluded that encompass cooperation in the economic and banking sectors, trade and investment, digital economy, infrastructure development, disaster management assistance, construction of the 6th and 9th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridges, agricultural exports from Bangladesh, and people-to-people connectivity.[ii]
Hasina aims to attract investment from China to ensure her country’s economic development. In her opening speech at the “Bangladesh-China Business, Trade, and Investment Summit” held in Beijing on July 9, 2024, Hasina called on the Chinese business community to invest in strategic sectors in Bangladesh, such as energy, renewable energy, and logistics centers. Hasina also expressed Bangladesh’s goal of increasing exports of various products, such as textiles, garments, and leather goods, to China.[iii]
Within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership, significant steps have been taken to establish closer economic and trade ties between China and Bangladesh. Additionally, China continues to supply Bangladesh with tanks, missile launchers, and weapons, while also constructing ports, railway lines, power plants, and bridges in the country. This dynamic has led Bangladesh to regard China as a strategic partner that significantly contributes to its economic development and infrastructure projects. Furthermore, it is essential to underscore that China is Bangladesh’s largest trading partner and one of its foremost sources of investment. This pragmatic cooperation serves as a model for other South Asian countries, demonstrating China’s good-neighbor policy, its principle of sharing the benefits of development, and its role as a responsible great power.
Hasina’s visit to China, immediately following her trip to New Delhi, can be viewed as a strategic balancing act aimed at satisfying two major powers, India and China. This strategy indicates that Hasina seeks to secure the support of both nations. Indeed, India holds considerable influence over Bangladesh.
During his meetings with Hasina, Xi expressed his support for Bangladesh’s pursuit of a development trajectory aligned with its national conditions, maintaining an independent foreign policy, preserving national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, as well as resisting to external interference. These statements are of critical importance to India, which wields considerable influence in Bangladesh.
Prior to Hasina’s visit to China, Bangladesh’s Minister of Transport and Bridges, Obaidul Quader, remarked on July 6, 2024, “India is Bangladesh’s political ally, while China serves as its development partner.”[iv] Given the escalating geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, countries such as Bangladesh which are in need of economic and social development, seek to sustain their cooperation with China. Consequently, they face political and security pressures from countries such as the United States of America (USA) and India.
In its endeavor to mitigate regional tensions and contribute to peace and stability, China has acted as a mediator in alleviating the tensions between Myanmar and Bangladesh. With close ties to both nations, China assesses that any conflict between them could impede its regional economic and peaceful development objectives. Myanmar and Bangladesh hold strategic importance for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia. Consequently, considering Beijing’s strong ties with Myanmar, Bangladesh hopes that China will contribute to resolving the Rohingya crisis.
Bangladesh perceives having an alternative source of development and military support to India not merely as a strategic choice but as crucial for the country’s future. Consequently, China is emerging as a significant military ally for Bangladesh. In 2016, China delivered two refurbished submarines to the Bangladesh Navy, and last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated a 1.21 billion dollar submarine base constructed by China. Situated in Cox’s Bazar, this base has the capacity to accommodate six submarines and eight warships simultaneously. The deepening relations between China and Bangladesh are rooted in the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed in 2002, which encompasses military training and defense procurement.[v]
In conclusion, the elevation of relations between China and Bangladesh to a comprehensive strategic partnership has further strengthened the economic and trade ties between the two countries. This strategic cooperation enables Bangladesh to receive substantial support from China for its development and infrastructure projects. Hasina’s endeavors to cultivate balanced relations with both China and India are bolstering Bangladesh’s geopolitical standing. The military and economic assistance provided by China plays a critical role in achieving Bangladesh’s development goals. In this context, Bangladesh’s positioning as a strategic partner in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and China’s deepening cooperation with Bangladesh as an alternative to India for development and military support are reshaping the geopolitical dynamics of the region. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly stated that China is Bangladesh’s most reliable development partner and staunchest friend.[vi] This situation best describes the relationship between the two countries.
[i] “China, Bangladesh elevate ties, broaden cooperation”, Global Times, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202407/1315808.shtml, (Date of Access: 12.07.2024).
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] “ China-Bangladesh Military Exercises Signal Shifting Geopolitical Landscape”, The Diplomat, https://thediplomat.com/2024/05/china-bangladesh-military-exercises-signal-shifting-geopolitical-landscape/, (Date of Access: 12.07.2024).
[vi] “China, Bangladesh always cooperate toward a better future”, China Daily, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202407/08/WS668b696aa31095c51c50cf84.html, (Date of Access: 12.07.2024).
