Dhaka: Reports indicate that a major port-linked project in Bangladesh, earlier expected to move forward with Indian financial support, has now shifted to China.
In 2015, the then government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed an MoU to develop economic zones at Mongla and Chittagong with Indian assistance. India later selected the Hiranandani Group to develop land for the zones.
After Hasina’s government fell amid student protests in 2024, an interim administration under Muhammad Yunus took charge and ties between India and Bangladesh reportedly strained. Citing that the India-selected land developer had not carried out any work for two years, Bangladesh cancelled the project last year.
China subsequently proposed an alternative plan. Following a change in government, new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman made China his first foreign visit and signed an agreement to set up a 110-acre economic hub near Mongla port. A separate agreement was also signed for Chinese technical assistance for the Teesta river management project.
India is said to be concerned that the deal could expand China’s influence in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Mongla, Bangladesh’s second-largest port, is about 188 km from Kolkata, and New Delhi views Chinese presence near the port as a potential security threat, including surveillance risks.
