Media report said China will set up a missile repair base in Bangladesh as reported by the New Nation on Saturday quoting The Tribune of India. It said a decade after China supplied Bangladesh with surface-to-air missile systems, maintenance and overhaul facility will come up there now which can double up as production assembly line of the same missile and its advanced variants. A Chinese company has been selected to work as partner of this maintenance hub.
Bangladesh’s Air Force, Navy and the Army are now equipped with Chinese missiles. The truck mounted FM-90 system is an improved version of a missile first produced by China in 1998. It supplied the missiles to Bangladesh in 2011. As we see the new move will bear significant strategic bearing in a region where Bangladesh is surrounded on three sides by India while it is facing blue water of the Bay of Bengal on the other side. The missile is an anti-aircraft system capable of all-weather operations against flying objects like planes, missiles or drones.
Bangladesh is China’s second largest arms customer and India evidently has not taken it comfortably with it. We recall that when China supplied a submarine to Bangladesh few years ago India’s reaction was quick and sharp. It sent the defence minister to Dhaka and secured signing of an agreement to face common enemies jointly. Dhaka also signed agreement to buy Indian arsenal for Bangladesh army. We are not sure what kind of reaction, India will make this time. But as the geo-politics is changing in the region and the government stability is vulnerable, we must be watching what comes next. Since the new Chinese missiles hub will boost our defence capacity India is likely to bring new pressure on Bangladesh.
It appears that Bangladesh government’s consent to allow the missile hub may surely anger not only India but also the USA inasmuch as it defies Washington’s call to join the quadruple block in the India ocean zone among Japan, India, Australia and the USA to deter Chinese expanding influence in the sea. Moreover Chinese agreement to finance Bangladesh’s multi-billion dollar Teesta Barrage as alternative to Teesta water sharing may have already angered New Delhi. Chinese presence closer to narrow passage to India’s northeast is already not going well with the Indian government.
Bangladesh is joining arms race for benefit of others. Our main concern should be how to improve the lot of our poor people. We must avoid being international chess game of war preparations. We want to develop as a peaceful nation. There lies our strength at the time of crisis from friends.
In our view the Pakistan army has ceased to a fighting force to defend the country for involving the army in international war games. Greed for foreign money on defence forces could prove fatal for our national interest. In the present situation no war remains one to one war. It is ultimately multi-national. Look at Ukraine.
We should always avoid developing our defence forces for the war strategy of others countries. If need be we shall defence pacts but not foreign military base to invite war in the interest of others. If we offer one country war facility we shall antagonise others.
