Bangladesh courts China even as ties with India improve
Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi, which had turned strained following a change of government in Bangladesh, are reported to be on the mend
Bangladesh's government has simultaneously intensified engagement with China, including high-level visits aimed at attracting investment
Steps toward normalisation with India include partial restoration of cross-border bus services and resumption of tourist visa issuance for Bangladeshi citizens
Bangladesh has continued to deepen infrastructure and investment cooperation with China even as the bilateral reset with India proceeds
India's Neighbourhood First Policy
Neighbourhood First is the organising principle of India's foreign policy toward South Asian states, prioritising connectivity, economic cooperation, and security partnerships with immediate neighbours over more distant strategic relationships.
Key Details
- The policy emphasises non-reciprocal, asymmetric assistance to neighbours (e.g., during economic crises, disaster relief) as a tool of goodwill and influence
- Applied to Bangladesh, this includes connectivity projects, trade facilitation, energy supply arrangements (such as cross-border pipeline fuel supply during shortages), and visa facilitation
- The policy is tested when neighbouring governments diversify their external partnerships — including toward China — creating a competitive dynamic in India's immediate periphery
- Similar dynamics have played out with Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives, where China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investments have coexisted with India's Neighbourhood First engagement
The gradual restoration of bus services, visa issuance, and fuel supply arrangements with Bangladesh reflects Neighbourhood First tools being used to stabilise ties even as Dhaka pursues parallel engagement with Beijing.
China's Maritime Infrastructure Footprint in the Bay of Bengal
China's investment in port and infrastructure projects across the Indian Ocean littoral — often described using the "String of Pearls" framing — is a recurring concern in India's strategic assessments of its immediate maritime neighbourhood.
Key Details
- The "String of Pearls" concept refers to a perceived network of Chinese-linked ports and commercial facilities across the Indian Ocean Region, from the South China Sea to the Horn of Africa, that could have dual civilian-military utility
- Bangladesh's engagement with China on port development (including at Mongla, in the Bay of Bengal) is cited as part of this broader pattern of Chinese infrastructure financing in India's neighbourhood
- China is Bangladesh's largest arms supplier and among its largest sources of foreign investment, giving Beijing significant economic leverage independent of the political government in power in Dhaka
- India's response has emphasised connectivity alternatives, such as regional integration frameworks and bilateral infrastructure financing, though China's investment scale in Bangladesh has generally exceeded India's
Bangladesh's continued courting of Chinese investment despite the improving political relationship with India illustrates that economic engagement with China has structural continuity, less tied to which government is in power in Dhaka than the state of bilateral politics with India.
India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement and Institutional Ties
Historic bilateral mechanisms, most notably the Land Boundary Agreement, illustrate the institutional depth of the India-Bangladesh relationship that persists across changes in government on either side.
Key Details
- The original Land Boundary Agreement was signed in 1974; a revised implementing agreement was operationalised through the Constitution (100th Amendment) Act, 2015
- The 100th Amendment, passed by both Houses of Parliament in May 2015, enabled the exchange of enclaves — India transferred 111 enclaves to Bangladesh, while Bangladesh transferred 51 enclaves to India
- This exchange resolved a decades-old boundary anomaly and is frequently cited as a model of resolving territorial disputes through peaceful, negotiated constitutional means
- Beyond the boundary settlement, bilateral cooperation spans river water sharing (Ganga Water Treaty, 1996; the pending Teesta water-sharing issue), connectivity (rail and riverine transit), and trade
The institutional depth built through agreements like the Land Boundary settlement provides a foundation for the reported normalisation of ties, even after a period of strain following the change in Bangladesh's government.
- Constitution (100th Amendment) Act, 2015 operationalised the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (original agreement: 1974)
- Enclave exchange: India transferred 111 enclaves to Bangladesh; Bangladesh transferred 51 enclaves to India
- China is Bangladesh's largest arms supplier and a major source of foreign investment
- Ganga Waters Treaty between India and Bangladesh: signed 1996; Teesta river water-sharing agreement remains unresolved
- Bay of Bengal port projects (e.g., Mongla) are cited in the "String of Pearls" framing of China's Indian Ocean infrastructure strategy