advertisementOf late, the biggest concern in the Indian strategic fraternity is the maiden joint training of the Chinese and Bangladeshi armies.
Chinese military activity in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh are closely monitored by experts in New Delhi due to their potential impact on the geopolitical landscape.
The increasing presence and engagements of the Chinese military in the region raise concerns about Beijing’s intentions and its influence in India’s immediate neighbourhood.
This dynamic underscores the importance of India remaining vigilant and proactive in managing its strategic interests in the region.
Some feel Chinese military activity in India’s close neighbourhood should raise concerns.
In the first week of February, national security advisor Ajit Doval made a quiet visit to Bangladesh, the first high-level trip from India after prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s party, the Awami League, won a fourth consecutive term in the 12th parliamentary elections. Doval expressed concern over the increasing number of Myanmar soldiers, who owe allegiance to the country’s junta, seeking refuge in India. It is estimated that over 700 troopers have crossed into India since November last year after being defeated by the Arakan Army and resistance allies. Of them, some 300 entered the country this January.
Now, India’s foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra is in Bangladesh to strengthen bilateral ties. In the past three months (since Doval’s visit), things have changed fast between the two countries. Bangladesh was born with India’s support but gradually leaned towards expansionist China. In the recent past, Beijing has supplied Dhaka’s military fighter jets, tanks and submarines.
advertisement
Of late, the biggest concern in the Indian strategic fraternity is the maiden joint training of the Chinese and Bangladeshi armies. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops are travelling to Bangladesh, where they are scheduled to carry out drills at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Rupganj, Narayanganj, near Dhaka.
Chinese military activity in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh are closely monitored by experts in New Delhi due to their potential impact on the geopolitical landscape. The increasing presence and engagements of the Chinese military in the region raise concerns about Beijing’s intentions and its influence in India’s immediate neighbourhood. This dynamic underscores the importance of India remaining vigilant and proactive in managing its strategic interests in the region.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, the joint exercise, codenamed ‘China-Bangladesh Golden Friendship 2024’, takes UN peacekeeping counter-terrorism operations as the scenario, and the two militaries will conduct joint training in mixed groups on subjects including bus anti-hijacking and elimination of terrorist camps.
The Chinese spokesperson added that the exercise was the first joint training ever between the Chinese and Bangladeshi armies, noting that such activity was conducive to enhancing understanding and friendship between the two militaries and deepening practical exchanges and cooperation.
Experts in New Delhi are watching all of this carefully as it signals a shifting geopolitical landscape. Some feel Chinese military activity in India’s close neighbourhood should raise concerns.
In recent years, China’s footprint in Bangladesh has grown significantly. Dhaka has become China’s second biggest defence customer, after Pakistan. Bangladesh has acquired sizeable military hardware from Beijing in recent years, including corvettes, naval guns, anti-ship missiles and surface-to-air missile systems.
Last year, Bangladesh prime minister Hasina inaugurated the China-built $1.2 billion six-slot submarine base, named BNS Sheikh Hasina, at Pekua in Cox’s Bazar. The Pekua Naval Base, about 200 miles southeast of Dhaka, houses two refurbished Chinese submarines and was built to increase Bangladesh’s naval capacity after the demarcation of its maritime boundary with India and Myanmar.
This submarine base in the Bay of Bengal is a concern for New Delhi from the standpoint of India’s economic, security and foreign policy interests. A military strategist maintained that the presence of a Chinese-built submarine base in India’s backyard could disrupt the regional balance of power and complicate the tense geopolitical situation in the Bay of Bengal.
advertisement
In November 2016, Bangladesh took the delivery of two China-made retrofitted Ming-class Type O35B diesel-electric submarines worth $203 million. The same year, the country joined the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has invested over $25 billion in various projects in Bangladesh, the highest after Pakistan in South Asia. The Awami League government reportedly prioritised multiple projects, including construction of power plants, railway lines, roads, a river tunnel, modernisation of ports, and development of information and communication technologies.
Defence cooperation between Dhaka and Beijing has deepened over the past few years with Bangladeshi military personnel being sent to the PLA’s institute for training.
The US Department of Defense, in a report, highlighted China’s growing influence in the region. It stated that China is a supplier of major naval vessels, as highlighted by Pakistan’s 2015 purchase of eight Yuan-class submarines for more than $3 billion. Thailand also purchased a Yuan-class submarine in 2017 and is interested in purchasing two more.
As of April 2022, China had not delivered any Yuan submarine, although it had delivered two Ming-class submarines to Bangladesh in 2016 and one to Myanmar in 2021. In 2017-18, China sold two frigates to Bangladesh and four to Pakistan, respectively. In September 2019, China made its first-ever sale of a landing platform dock ship to Thailand.
advertisement
Subscribe to India Today Magazine
Published By: Shyam Balasubramanian Published On: May 11, 2024
