Strengthening Partnership: How China Can Help Bangladesh in Resource Management Policy

Mohammad Maruf Hasan and Zhang Chaozhe :

Bangladesh, a rapidly growing economy in South Asia, confronts a paradox of growth. Despite the nation’s significant achievements in reducing poverty, industrial growth, and digital advancement, its natural resources of land, water, energy, and minerals are being strained.

Growing urbanization, industrialization, and climatic challenges have strained resource systems to their maximum capacity. Efficient management of these resources has evolved into a critical environmental issue as well as a strategic economic and political priority.

In this context, China, as Bangladesh’s largest trading partner and a global leader in sustainable resource management, may significantly contribute to the development of a comprehensive and forward-looking resource management policy framework for Dhaka. Chinese experience provides many methods in technology transfer, institutional capacity-building, green finance, and policy innovation that Bangladesh can tailor to its distinct growth path.

A country with a population of 170 million residing in an area of around 148,000 square kilometers, Bangladesh is among the most populous nations on earth. This demographic strain has intensified competition for land, water, and energy resources.

Agricultural land is diminishing due to urban expansion, industrial development, and infrastructure initiatives, while groundwater depletion and contamination jeopardize the sustainability of drinking and irrigation systems.

The nation’s energy consumption has increased significantly, driven by escalating industrial demand and urban development. Reliance on imported fossil fuels is causing greater fiscal strain, but the use of renewable energy lags behind its potential. Garbage management has become a significant urban challenge, with cities such as Dhaka and Chattogram facing difficulties in sustainably managing solid and industrial garbage.

In the absence of a comprehensive resource management policy, Bangladesh is vulnerable to environmental degradation, economic inefficiencies, and growing social inequalities. Insights from China’s transition from resource-dependent to efficiency-oriented growth may offer significant insights.

In the last forty years, China has evolved from a resource-dependent developing nation into a global frontrunner in efficient and sustainable resource management. It has developed solutions in water conservation, waste recycling, renewable energy, and digital governance through policy innovation and technology improvement.

In the water management sector, China has achieved significant milestones, such as the “South-to-North Water Diversion Project” and the implementation of stringent water quotas for enterprises and agriculture, which exemplify extensive resource planning capabilities.

China has also achieved success in land use and urban development. Innovative urbanization frameworks in Shenzhen and Chengdu amalgamate industrial development with environmental sustainability, harmonizing economic growth with ecological preservation.

China spearheads the global energy transformation, representing around 40% of worldwide solar capacity and 35% of global wind energy capacity through its renewable energy investments.

Circular economy and sustainable financing. The notion of developing “circular economy,” presented in China’s 11th Five-Year Plan, has promoted recycling, resource reutilization, and waste-to-energy projects.

For Bangladesh, these policy experiences serve not as templates for replication but as strategic insights for adaptation, addressing common developmental constraints such as population density, fast industrialization, and susceptibility to climate change.

The opportunities between the two countries exist in several sectors, such as: Water availability is very important for Bangladesh’s agriculture and energy sectors. But too much groundwater extraction, river pollution, and climate change’s unpredictable rainfall patterns are putting sustainability at risk.

Through joint river basin management programs that focus on early warning systems, flood control, and sedimentation management, China could help Bangladesh with technology transfer for recycling water, desalination, and treating wastewater. China’s Ministry of Water Resources and colleges run initiatives to help local engineers and hydrologists improve their skills.

The Padma Bridge Rail Link and Teesta River Management Project, which are being talked about between Dhaka and Beijing, could be used as platforms for planning water resources in an improved manner.

China’s energy efficiency and switch to renewable sources are presently the best in the world. Bangladesh may learn from China’s experience with solar, hydro, and wind power to make the switch to clean energy. China can help build more solar mini grids in rural areas that aren’t connected to the power grid, and it can also help make solar panels and batteries in China through joint ventures. Bangladesh’s electrical distribution network might be brought up to date by investing in waste-to-energy facilities and smart grids.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and Chinese companies like China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) could work together to help the government reach its goal of getting 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2041. Also, China’s Green Belt and Road Initiative fits well with Bangladesh’s aims for sustainability because it focuses on building parks and factories that are good for the environment and have low carbon footprints.

China is the top country in this field for planning land use and building smart cities. Bangladesh’s major problems with development are urban congestion and poor land usage. China’s experience with smart city planning can help us in real life. China’s knowledge of GIS-based urban mapping, integrating public transportation, and digital zoning could help Bangladesh with its plan for urban growth. Joint partnerships in eco-industrial parks, such as the Chinese Economic Zone in Chattogram, could serve as examples of balanced development, integrating production efficiency with environmental adherence. Bangladesh can also set up urban land banks through policy coordination. This would stop unplanned sprawl and make sure that land is used in a way that is good for the environment.

As Bangladesh progresses towards its Vision 2041 objective of becoming a high-income, climate-resilient nation, effective resource management will be pivotal to its success.

China, leveraging its expertise in extensive planning, technical advancement, and ecological transformation, is distinctly equipped to assist Bangladesh in formulating policies that harmonize progress with sustainability.

The relationship must transition from conventional infrastructure funding to a collaboration centered on knowledge and innovation one that enhances local capacity, promotes environmental stewardship, and guarantees that each project benefits future generations.

By adhering to transparency, mutual respect, and a long-term vision, Bangladesh and China may together establish a novel paradigm of South–South cooperation, characterized by shared learning instead of dependency in development.

Fundamentally, resource management transcends mere conservation; it is important for safeguarding Bangladesh’s economic future. With China’s assistance in technology, governance, and investment, Bangladesh can transform its resource challenges into catalysts for sustained growth.

(Mohammad Maruf, Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China.
&
Zhang Chaozhe, Director of Pakistan study center, Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China.)