China to ‘solidly advance' trilateral cooperation with Bangladesh & Pakistan, says its envoy in Dhaka

The Print

a day ago

Last month, the Foreign Secretaries of Bangladesh and Pakistan met Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong in the city of Kunming in the first of its kind trilateral. While the Chinese readout indicated that the trilateral was not directed at any 'third party'—a reference to India—Beijing has stepped up efforts to deepen engagement with Bangladesh since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in August 2024.
Speaking at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka, Yao, according to the local media, said, 'China looks forward to making joint efforts with Bangladesh and Pakistan to solidly advance the trilateral cooperation and achieve tangible results.'
New Delhi: China aims to 'solidly advance' trilateral cooperation with Bangladesh and Pakistan, as the Communist Party of China seeks to deepen ties with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami, Beijing's envoy to Dhaka Yao Wen said Tuesday.
Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus travelled to China earlier this year, where he indicated that Dhaka is the 'guardian of the ocean' for India's land-locked North East, while calling for larger Chinese investments.
Chinese businesses have heeded the call, according to Yao, with Beijing becoming the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing into Bangladesh since the change in regime on 5 August 2024. Beijing also promised $2.1 billion in investments, loans and grants directed towards Bangladesh during Yunus' visit to China.
Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh fled Dhaka for New Delhi on 5 August, 2024 after facing months of protests by students over the imposition of a quota for veterans of the 1971 Liberation War.
Bangladesh's interim foreign minister Touhid Hossain met his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in New York City Monday, on the margins of the two-state conference organised by the United Nations (UN). It is the fourth meeting between the two since October 2024, with both Hossain and Dar agreeing to plan for further high-level visits in the near future.
Also read: Beijing hosts 1st Pakistan-China-Bangladesh trilateral, says 'not directed at any third party'
The strategic realignment of Bangladesh
The strategic realignment between Dhaka with Islamabad and Beijing comes after a year of strained ties with New Delhi. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been living in New Delhi since her ouster, as reported by ThePrint. Bangladesh has been pushing for Hasina's extradition with an official request made in December 2024.
While India has acknowledged receiving the request from Bangladesh, Hasina remains in New Delhi, even as Dhaka has proceeded with laying charges against the former Prime Minister at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). The ICT located in Dhaka recently sentenced Hasina to six months imprisonment holding the former Prime Minister in contempt of the tribunal.
Beijing has taken up the mantle to realign South Asia, recently expanding the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan. The announcement in May came after a trilateral meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and the foreign minister of the Taliban regime Amir Khan Muttaqi in Beijing.
China has sought to strengthen its ties with the Bangladeshi political landscape with leaders of the BNP and Jamaat visiting the country in the last couple of weeks. A delegation from the Jamaat most recently visited the country in early July.
'China's relationships with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami were hindered over the past 10 years. Now, efforts are underway to strengthen those ties,' Yao said, while retorting that the reporters 'know why' ties were hindered in the last decade, as per reports.
India has long been considered close to the Awami League—Hasina's party—which has since been banned by Dhaka in May 2025. The evolving foreign policy situation between India and Bangladesh has seen both countries react to a number of irritants in ties, often publicly. Most recently, India had urged Dhaka to 'reconsider' the demolition of a house in the city of Mymensingh reportedly linked to film-maker Satyajit Ray.
Dhaka, however, denied any links between the film-maker and the house, even as the demolition orders were paused as per reports. While ties at the political level have been tenuous at best, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Yunus on the margins of the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand earlier this year.
Dhaka has taken over the chair of the bloc, which has been a key part of New Delhi's regional push since the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has seen little activity in the last decade. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) consists of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The Chinese envoy also said that Beijing is ready to implement the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP)—a comprehensive water management and infrastructure development project on the Teesta river.
The river flows through both India and Bangladesh. Hasina during her visit to India in 2024 had indicated her intention for India to manage the project. However, since her ouster, no decision has been taken on the project.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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