Introduction:
China and Bangladesh have recently been developing a pioneering relationship through common cooperative interests. This ancient history of relations and cooperation between the two countries has resulted in extensive military, financial and cultural exchanges. Relations between China and Bangladesh have recently expanded to include engineering, trade, faculty, education, cultural and human rights.
Bangladesh–China relations are the bilateral relations of Bangladesh and China. Bangladesh has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in Hong Kong and Kunming. Both countries are members of the BCIM Forum (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation). According to Chinese government designations, Bangladesh and China are in a “strategic partnership of cooperation”.
Bengal and Imperial China:
Chinese monks, scholars and traders began frequenting Bengal (Tosali Province) from the
Qin dynasty period. Famous ancient Chinese travellers to Bengal included Faxian, Yijing (monk) and Xuanzang. During the Pala Empire of Bengal, Atisa of Bikrampur travelled to Tibet and played an important role in developing Tibetan Buddhism.
In 648, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, who is credited to have introduced Islam in China, is said to have followed a route via the Brahmaputra.
Zhou Enlai (centre) with H. S. Suhrawardy (left) and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (right) in Dhaka Stadium, 1957.
Bangladesh and China: A Friendship for Prosperity
The near-50 years of diplomatic relations between the two states have resulted in countless trade and investments, which remain memorable in the history of both. Transportation, energy, electricity, technology, and many more sectors in Bangladesh have been boosted through our fruitful partnership with China.
The Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, Payra 2×660 MW Coal-fired Power Plant, the IV tier National Data Centre.
Currently, the organisation is active in more than 90 countries across the world. Chinese organisations like CREC have mostly been appraised worldwide for their service quality excellence and timeliness. Bangladesh values such partners on its way to attaining the prime prestige of a developed country.
MA Monayem is the Earthwork Engineer in charge of, the Mawa Bhanga section of, the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project.
The first keyword is friendship. The friendship between the two countries enjoys a solid historical, social and popular foundation. In 2021, when Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of its independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, President Xi Jinping sent a video message of congratulations. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also sent a video message of congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in July of that year.
The second keyword is cooperation. The third keyword is potential.
China-Bangladesh Geopolitical Relations:
Geopolitically, the Bay of Bengal is very important because it is connected with the Andaman
Sea and Malacca Straits. Moreover, the Bay of Bengal has direct links with South Asia and South East Asia including the Indian Ocean. Particularly, both China and India are very interested in the Bay of Bengal for mineral resources. Through the Bay of Bengal, China wants direct connectivity between China and the Indian Ocean through either South East Bangladesh or the Rakhine state of Myanmar. This study has dealt with the importance of the Bay of Bengal in light of China’s geopolitical desire, trade and investment, oil and gas, and regional connectivity.
China-Bangladesh Geographical Relations:
According to the geographical relationship between China and Bangladesh, there is no military border between the two countries. When the Bangladesh War of Independence broke out in 1971, complex geopolitical rivalries erupted in South Asia. The Bangladeshis elicited the help of India in their freedom struggle. China had earlier fought a war with India in 1962 and became an ally of Pakistan. Crucially, it was using Pakistan as a conduit for rapprochement with Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger in the United States. The PRC also replaced Taiwan (Republic of China) as a permanent member of the UN Security Council in 1971. Its first veto was used to support Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. In the early years of Bangladesh’s independence, Dhaka was also close to the Soviet Union, which was a rival of China following the Sino-Soviet split. President Ziaur Rahman, who restored free markets in Bangladesh, visited Beijing and laid the groundwork for the relationship; while numerous Chinese leaders visited Dhaka in the late 1970s.
On Bangladesh Nationalist Party PM Begum Khaleda Zia’s invitation, China was added as an observer in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan joined Bangladesh in strongly supporting China’s application for observer status, which was accepted.
China-Bangladesh Economic Relations:
Relations between Bangladesh and China can be traced back to centuries in their history, geography and culture.
- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in his capacity as a functionary of the government of erstwhile Pakistan, travelled to China twice in 1953 and 1957 and Chinese Premier Zhou en-Lai also paid a visit to Dhaka in 1956.
- However, in 1971, China’s attitude towards Bangladesh’s struggle for liberation was very negative. China was very much critical of the expansion of Indo-Soviet influence in South Asia for its security implications and did not want the breakup of Pakistan-her principal ally in South Asia.
However, with all the significant developments in Sine Bangladesh relations in political, military, economic and cultural fields in post-1975.
The Defence Relationship between China and Bangladesh:
The defence relationship between China and Bangladesh has witnessed significant developments, reflecting the strengthening ties between the two nations.
- Military Cooperation: China and Bangladesh engage in various military cooperation activities, including joint exercises, high-level visits, and personnel exchanges.
- Strategic Dialogue: Both countries maintain a strategic dialogue mechanism to discuss regional and global security issues.
- Defence Technology Collaboration: This collaboration includes the procurement of military hardware, such as aircraft, naval vessels, and other defence systems.
- Capacity Building: China has actively supported Bangladesh in building its defence capabilities through training programs, educational exchanges, and skill development initiatives.
- Regional Security Cooperation: China and Bangladesh collaborate on regional security issues, promoting stability and peace in the South Asian region.
China’s Contribute to Bangladesh:
- Water security: River water sharing
Bangladesh and India have signalled concerns over Chinese plans to dam and divert water from the Brahmaputra River in Tibet.
- Covid-19 pandemic in China:
In August 2020, Bangladesh approved the final stage of testing of the Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech Ltd. COVID-19 vaccine. On 4 October 2020, it was reported that Sinovac had sought Bangladesh’s co-financing of the trials. However, on 13 October 2020, the trials were reported to be uncertain after Bangladesh refused to co-fund the vaccine, saying that at the time of seeking approval, Sinovac had said they would run the trials on their funds and had also promised to provide 100,000 free doses.
The biggest investors in Bangladesh:
According to AEI data, most of China’s $7.07 billion investment in Bangladesh came to the power and energy sector, amounting to $3.27 billion. The country’s investment in the metal
(Construction-related) supply sector is $2.13 billion. For all the latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel. China has become the largest FDI (foreign direct investment) source country of Bangladesh in terms of the gross flow of $940 million for fiscal year 2022.
Bangladesh’s top 5 Export and Import partners
Exporter | Trade (US$ Mil) | Partner share (%) |
China | 10,349 | 21.53 |
India | 5,882 | 12.24 |
Singapore | 4,418 | 9.19 |
Hong Kong, China
|
2,624
|
5.46 |
China-Bangladesh Defence Cooperation: Arms Trade and Military Infrastructure
In the past decade, Bangladesh has emerged as an important player in China’s political expansion strategy. Military cooperation between the two states in the form of arms supply and construction of military infrastructure has increased in the past few years.
The arms race in the Bay of Bengal also led to Bangladesh signing the Submarine Deal in 2017. As a part of the deal, Bangladesh bought two submarines from China at $205 million and helped Bangladesh to construct its first submarine base.
Why Bangladesh is important to China:
In 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Bangladesh on an official visit on 7 and 8 April. Various agreements were signed during this visit. The Chinese premier readily agreed to construct the Di-Aluminium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser factory in Chittagong entirely on concessional lending instead of on supplier credit. In 2007, Chinese Assistant Minister of Commerce, Wang Chao visited Bangladesh with the 39-member purchase delegation.
Both countries agreed to build a “Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center” in Dhaka. the amount of foreign trade between Bangladesh and China is about 10 billion dollars. Bangladesh imports about 8 billion dollars of goods from China while it exports 2 billion dollars of goods. However, China has recently waived tariffs on 97% of Bangladesh’s products. This will reduce the trade deficit between Bangladesh and China.
The China-Bangladesh friendship continues to expand:
The year of 2017, designated as the Year of Friendship and Exchanges between China and Bangladesh, saw the friendly ties between the two nations.
Seven friendship bridges have already been completed across Bangladesh thanks to Chinese grants, and the eighth one is under construction, with Beijing providing funding for the construction of the ninth one.
Among other major China-funded infrastructure projects, Chinese enterprises have also signed deals with Bangladesh to build a two-lane tunnel underneath the Karnaphuli River.
The first of its kind in Bangladesh and to construct a 220-km pipeline to carry oil from tankers in the Bay of Bengal to storage plants on the mainland.
Apart from the friendship bridges, China is also building the Padma Bridge, termed a “dream bridge” for Bangladeshis.
The 6.15-km-long complex, undertaken by a Chinese company, is the largest and most challenging infrastructure project in the country’s history.
It will make it more convenient for neighbouring countries to use Bangladesh’s seaports, and promote trade with neighbouring countries.
The Bangladeshi government, in collaboration with Chinese companies, implemented the country’s largest-ever ICT project.
The project brought nearly 20,000 government offices across the country under nationwide connectivity.
Why should China be more friendly towards Bangladesh:
During the nineteenth century, Great Britain was preoccupied with the doubt that one of the
European powers could extend their dominance beyond Europe as well as politically wrecked Islamic Asia. At that time, the ruler of Great Britain had an apprehension that Russia’s encroachment target would be its southern part- Afghanistan. And subsequently, it could sustain its marching towards India.
As of that time, from British diplomats to military personnel, all perceived that there were two ways to counter the imminent collision- either to accommodate Afghanistan under British rule or give it recognition as a buffer state between Great Britain and Russia. Eventually, the game was over along with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Meanwhile, these recent remarks have raised a myriad of questions from the ordinary people of Bangladesh. In this regard, if China acts absurdly as its only South Asian rival (India) has been doing to its neighbouring countries.
In conclusion, the friendship between China and Bangladesh stands as a testament to the strength of bilateral relations forged on the principles of mutual respect, shared development goals, and strategic cooperation. This enduring partnership has transcended historical and cultural differences, evolving into a multifaceted alliance that encompasses economic, diplomatic, and defence dimensions.
Reference:
- Albert, M., Reuber, P. and Wolkersdorfer, G. (2014). Critical Geopolitics. in Scheider, S. and Spindler, M., (eds.) Theories of International Relations, Routledge: London.
- The author is a Research Associate at, the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), Dhaka
- Abu Taher Salahuddin Ahmed, “Bangladesh- China Relations: An
- Assessment,” BIISS Journal, (Vol. 13, No.2, 1992), p. 265
- Waliur Rahman, “PRC: Prime Minister’s First Official Itinerary, Daily Star,
- September 23, 1996
- Bhumitra Chakma, “Bangladesh- China Relations: Determinants and 6. Interlinkages”, Abul Kalam (ed.) Bangladesh: Internal Dynamics and External
- Linkages, Dhaka, UPL, 1996, p. 257.
Writer: Mirza Asadujjaman Nur
Institution: Jashore University Of Science and Technology