Bangladesh, China agree to strengthen cooperation on Teesta river management: report
During Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first official visit to Beijing, Chinese Water Resources Minister Li Guoying called on the PM and the two s...
What Happened
- During Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first official visit to Beijing, Chinese Water Resources Minister Li Guoying called on the PM and the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the management of the Teesta and other rivers in Bangladesh.
- The Chinese minister described the bilateral cooperation in water resource management as "practical and research-based" and offered full cooperation to Bangladesh's river management initiatives.
- Bangladesh's PM highlighted the country's ongoing river excavation programme aimed at reducing flood risks and improving environmental management, and sought Chinese technical assistance specifically for the Teesta management project.
- China also extended an invitation to Bangladeshi water experts and officials to receive training in China on water management practices.
- The agreement builds on earlier groundwork: a Chinese state-owned agency signed an agreement with Bangladesh's Water Development Board in 2016 for technical studies on the Teesta, and a comprehensive Teesta River Management and Restoration Project was formalised in 2019, with China offering nearly $1 billion in financing in 2020.
Static Topic Bridges
The Teesta River — Geography and Course
The Teesta River originates at the Teesta Khangtse Glacier in Sikkim, above 5,400 metres elevation, and flows approximately 414 kilometres before joining the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Of its total length, roughly 150 km lie in Sikkim, 123 km in West Bengal, and the remaining ~140 km in Bangladesh, where it flows through the districts of Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, and Gaibandha. The river is a major source of irrigation and livelihoods for the agriculture-dependent population of northern Bangladesh.
- Origin: Teesta Khangtse Glacier, Sikkim, above 5,400 m
- Total length: ~414 km (Sikkim ~150 km, West Bengal ~123 km, Bangladesh ~140 km)
- Joins the Brahmaputra (Jamuna) in Bangladesh
- Key districts served in Bangladesh: Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha
- A tributary of the Brahmaputra river system (Himalayan origin)
Connection to this news: The Teesta management project China is financing spans the river's Bangladeshi stretch — from flood control and embankment construction to land reclamation and dry-season water storage. China's involvement in the river's management is upstream of where India's abstraction occurs, giving the project a complex geopolitical dimension.
India-Bangladesh Teesta Water Dispute
The Teesta water-sharing dispute is one of the most longstanding bilateral irritants in India-Bangladesh relations. The dispute arises from India's construction of the Gajoldoba Barrage in West Bengal, which Bangladesh argues drastically reduces dry-season flow into its territory. In 1983, a temporary arrangement gave India 39% and Bangladesh 36% of the river's flow. A draft treaty in 2011 proposed 37.5% each, but was stalled because West Bengal withheld consent. No permanent water-sharing agreement has been signed. Bangladesh loses an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of rice annually due to dry-season water shortages on the Teesta, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
- 1983 interim arrangement: India 39%, Bangladesh 36% allocation
- 2011 draft treaty: 37.5% each — stalled due to state-level opposition in West Bengal
- Gajoldoba Barrage (West Bengal): central infrastructure in the dispute
- Agricultural loss to Bangladesh: ~1.5 million tonnes of rice/year (IFPRI estimate)
- India's Constitution: river water sharing between states falls under the Concurrent List; inter-state river disputes governed by Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956
Connection to this news: Bangladesh's agreement with China on Teesta management is directly linked to the unresolved India-Bangladesh water treaty. With India unable to finalize an agreement for over a decade, Dhaka has turned to Beijing for an alternative infrastructure partnership on the same river.
China's Strategic Presence in South Asian River Basins
China occupies the upstream position on many rivers that flow into South Asia — the Brahmaputra (called the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet), the Indus, and several others. China is not a signatory to the UN Watercourses Convention (1997), which codifies principles of equitable utilization and no significant harm for shared rivers. China has constructed multiple dams on the upper Brahmaputra and has been expanding its water infrastructure diplomacy across South Asia, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia through bilateral agreements and financing under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
- China's upstream control: Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), upper Indus tributaries, Mekong (Lancang)
- China not a signatory to the UN Convention on Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997)
- Teesta project implementing agency: PowerChina (state-owned; signed with Bangladesh Water Development Board, 2016)
- Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project: formalised 2019; Chinese financing offered ~$1 billion (2020)
- BRI connectivity: China frames water infrastructure projects as part of its broader BRI engagement with neighbouring states
Connection to this news: The Bangladesh-China Teesta agreement fits into a larger pattern of China extending its influence over South Asian river systems through infrastructure financing and technical cooperation, a development that carries direct strategic implications for India.
India's Concerns and the Neighbourhood First Policy
India's "Neighbourhood First" policy, articulated as a foreign policy doctrine, prioritizes stable, cooperative relationships with immediate neighbours. China's growing infrastructure footprint in Bangladesh — from the Teesta river project to port investments at Mongla and Chittagong — is monitored closely by New Delhi. Water resource management agreements that bypass India, particularly on a river that India shares with Bangladesh, raise concerns about precedent-setting for other trans-boundary rivers.
- India's Neighbourhood First Policy: announced 2014; emphasizes connectivity, trade, and people-to-people ties with SAARC neighbours
- Bangladesh is India's largest trading partner in South Asia
- India-Bangladesh bilateral trade: goods and services over $12 billion (pre-2026)
- Mongla Port, Chittagong Port: Chinese infrastructure investments in Bangladesh raise strategic concerns for India
Connection to this news: China's agreement with Bangladesh on the Teesta directly impacts India's leverage in the bilateral dispute and signals to Dhaka that alternative partners are available — a factor that complicates India's regional water diplomacy.
Key Facts & Data
- Teesta River total length: ~414 km; origin at Teesta Khangtse Glacier, Sikkim, above 5,400 m
- Tributaries: joins Brahmaputra (Jamuna) in Bangladesh
- 1983 interim allocation: India 39%, Bangladesh 36%
- 2011 draft treaty (unratified): 37.5% each for dry-season flow
- Bangladesh rice loss from Teesta shortage: ~1.5 million tonnes/year (IFPRI)
- PowerChina signed MoU with Bangladesh Water Development Board: 2016
- Teesta Comprehensive Management Project formalised: 2019
- Chinese financing offer: ~$1 billion (2020)
- China is not party to the UN Watercourses Convention (1997)