As ties with India nosedive, Bangladesh makes overtures to China

The ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 and the establishment of an interim government under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus has changed the dynamics of India-Bangladesh relations. Dhaka under Sheikh Hasina had managed to balance its relationship between New Delhi and Beijing quite adeptly.

However, the foreign and economic policies of the interim government, which last month showed signs of cosying up to Beijing, have pushed the relationship downhill and is adding to India’s neighbourhood worries.

No surprises then that the first state visit undertaken by Yunus was to China from March 26 to 29. It showed a clear preference for Beijing in Dhaka’s foreign policy under the interim government. To make matters worse, Yunus stated that India’s North East is landlocked and Bangladesh is the “only guardian of the ocean for this entire region”.

While the Indian establishment did not react to Yunus’ China visit, the Bangladeshi leader’s reference to India’s North East being landlocked and other economic overtures to Beijing would raise New Delhi’s hackles.

From Bangladesh’s perspective, this could open up a huge opportunity. It could become an extension of the Chinese economy – “build, produce, market, bring goods to China and export them to the rest of the world” as Bangladesh’s ambassador to Beijing said. This clearly underscored what...

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