Dhaka tilts toward Beijing
Bangladesh has taken its most explicit public stance yet on the Taiwan question, formally declaring that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and expressing firm opposition to any form of Taiwanese independence — a position that signals a notable strategic shift under the newly elected BNP government.
The declaration came during Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman’s three-day official visit to Beijing from May 5 to 7 — his first to China since assuming office — where he held bilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
A joint press release issued after the meeting confirmed that Bangladesh reaffirmed the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of all of China, and pledged support for Beijing’s goal of national reunification.
The language went beyond routine diplomatic courtesy.
In taking such an unambiguous position on one of geopolitics’ most sensitive fault lines, Dhaka has risked friction with Washington — which, while not formally recognising Taiwanese independence, continues to arm the island and support its self-defence capabilities.
Teesta: Bypassing New Delhi
Equally significant was Bangladesh’s formal request for China’s involvement in the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) — effectively bypassing India after decades of waiting for a water-sharing agreement that remains trapped in New Delhi’s domestic politics.
The Teesta, one of 54 transboundary rivers shared between Bangladesh and India, has been the subject of an unresolved water-sharing dispute for years. A long-anticipated bilateral deal has repeatedly stalled, largely due to political resistance from West Bengal.
During the previous Awami League government, China had expressed willingness to invest in the project, but the initiative was quietly shelved — partly due to Indian discomfort over Chinese infrastructure activity near the strategically sensitive “Chicken’s Neck” corridor linking India’s northeastern states to the rest of the country.
India had countered with its own alternative investment proposal during the final years of the Awami League administration. That window now appears to have closed.
“China has always wanted to be part of this project. But we could not accept their assistance in time.
We started once and then pulled back,” said Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Bangladesh’s former Ambassador to China, speaking to the media this week. “The current government wants to restart this project afresh.
If India had ensured Bangladesh’s fair share of water from shared rivers, perhaps there would have been no need for such a project. But having been deprived for so long, Bangladesh has no alternative.”
‘No Cause for Alarm — or Euphoria’
The former ambassador urged caution against over-reading the signals from the Beijing visit. “Bangladesh has clearly articulated its position on the Taiwan issue.
This is in continuity with Bangladesh’s previous stance,” he said, adding that the new government’s strong expression of support for China should not be seen as a move against any third country.
“Neither those who stand with China nor those who oppose it should feel overjoyed or disappointed.
Bangladesh must maintain good relations with all countries in its own interest. While strengthening ties with one country, it must be careful not to damage relations with another,” he said.
He also pointed to what he called Washington’s own contradictions on the Taiwan issue. “The United States does not publicly support Taiwan’s independence.
But it continues to provide all forms of military support to prepare Taiwan for war. That is an example of America’s double standard,” he said.
Beijing Awaits Tarique
The diplomatic momentum is building beyond the foreign minister’s visit. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said this week that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to China is being eagerly awaited by both the Chinese government and its people.
Speaking at a dinner hosted at InterContinental Dhaka on Wednesday, the ambassador noted that BNP’s recent visit had generated considerable public interest in China and received prominent coverage in state media.
BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who attended the dinner, expressed gratitude to Beijing and recalled the “Look East Policy” of founder-president Ziaur Rahman — crediting him as an architect of the Bangladesh-China diplomatic relationship.
Fakhrul said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would follow the path charted by his parents in advancing ties with the Chinese Communist Party.
A Partnership Deepened
The joint statement from the Beijing talks confirmed that both sides agreed to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, deepen political mutual trust, and advance the China-Bangladesh Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership.
China, in turn, reaffirmed its support for Bangladesh’s national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, asked this week whether the political changes in West Bengal could help unlock the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing treaty, declined to speculate.
“I do not want to make assumptions about this in advance,” he said, noting that meetings of the Joint Rivers Commission and related technical bodies on the Ganga, Teesta and other water-sharing matters would be held “soon.”
Whether soon is soon enough — for a government that has clearly decided it can no longer afford to wait — remains to be seen.
