Mohammad Amjad Hossain :
Bangladesh in South Asia has survived 50 years since the liberation with help of India which is sandwiched between two huge powers of India and China. But Bangladesh has little option instead to do a strategic tightrope walk in performing its foreign relations. It is interesting to note that India in fact flex its economic and political power beyond the confines of South Asia while People’s Republic of China has asserted to become global economic and military power indeed.
There is no denying the fact that the people of Bangladesh during the nine month struggle saw India as a messiah. A tremendous amount of goodwill was generated towards the people of India. Moreover, Bangladesh is surrounded on three sides by India. It is interesting to note that successive governments came to power in Bangladesh following assassination of father of nation Banghabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August of 1975 have in fact contributed to cementing of relation with China. China in fact established diplomatic relations with Bangladesh in August 1975. Since the relation with China is growing by leaps and bound. In South Asian states Bangladesh becomes an important player in Chinese political and military calculus and provides China with added leverage to check Indian forces in future. As a matter of fact both China and India are competing to build along the disputed Himalayan border a high pitched road since 2020 at Galwan valley which caused the death of more than one hundred Indian troops by Chinese forces.
It is interesting to note that both India and China defied the United States to condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine. Both India and China remained absent to cast a vote against Russia on UN resolution of 26 February of 2022. While the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on 7 July, 2022 has requested the US withdraw sanctions against Russia since it was imposed as punishment for attacking Ukraine. The war and the retaliatory economic and financial sanction not only jolted the Indian economy while the economy of Bangladesh was affected as well by pushing inflation to an eight year high of 7.42 percent in May this Year followed by bringing the Forex Reserve below 42 billion.
Bangladesh’s relation with China is growing by leaps and bounds particularly after the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to China from first of July to sixth July in 2019 while Chinese President Xi Jin Ping along with Foreign Minister, Finance Minister and commerce minister paid a visit to Bangladesh on October 14 in 2016. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is reported to have said.
Bangladesh had a long standing friendly relation with China. In 1990’s six bridges had been built with the help of China including Banghabandho International conference center in Dhaka while a series of development plans are being executed with financial assistance from China. While face of Bangladesh is likely to be changed since large scale project like Olympic village, Banarasi weaving village plus National Judicial Academy center are being built with the financial assistance of China. It is interesting to note that Chinese provided 1320 Megawatt power plant at Payra in Patuakhali which is likely to save one hundred percent electricity. During the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Bangladesh on 7 August 0f 2020 signed four memorandum of understanding to assist Bangladesh in disaster management, cultural cooperation plus marine science while handed over Chinese built friendship bridge in Pirojpur. China has announced that she would provide Bangladesh $10.5 million while she would order worth of $ 5.3 million of goods from Bangladesh while trade relation goes in favour of India. India’s export to Bangladesh stands at $5452.90 million during 2015- 2016 and import from Bangladesh stands at $ 689.02. Trade with India stands at $ ten billion in 2020. Relations between India and Bangladesh have recorded a boost in terms of trade, connectivity, and infrastructure. In spite of the assurance given by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in connection with the celebration of fifty years of Bangladesh and birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 26th March in 2021, as of now the sharing of waters from Teesta and Feni rivers remain unsettled, though Modi said his neighborhood policy hold priority. Teesta River, a tributary of Bramapuuuutra which passes through Kanangsegila and flows through the state of Sikkim and West Bengal enters Bangladesh. The joint river commission decided in 1983 that India would receive 39 percent of waters while Bangladesh should have 36 percent while India in 2011 agreed to receive 37.5 percent of waters from Teesta. As of now Bangladesh is deprived of its due share of waters from Teesta. Apart from the water sharing problem with India, Bangladesh Prime Minister should leave no stone unturned to emphasize that Myanmar should take back their Rohingya citizens since India has been maintaining good relations with Myanmar. In fact, Bangladesh and India share bonds of history, language, culture and multitude other commonalities.
(Mohammad Amjad Hossain, retired diplomat from Bangladesh, former Joint-Director of Central Kachi-Kachar Mela and former President of Nova Toastmaster International club of America , writes from
Falls Church, Virginia).
