By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Bangladesh’s foreign minister Khalilur Rahman and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, according to the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
Millions of people rely on the Teesta River for irrigation and their livelihoods as it travels from the eastern Himalayas via Sikkim and West Bengal before reaching Bangladesh.
Wang stated that China is prepared to encourage the alignment of the excellent Belt and Road cooperation with Bangladesh’s national development strategies and to deepen cooperation in traditional areas like economy, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges, among others, in support of the new Bangladeshi government, according to a quote from the BSS.
According to him, the government will also encourage Chinese businesses to invest in Bangladesh.
Wang emphasized that China’s expansion of relations with Bangladesh and other South Asian nations does not target any third party and should not be impacted by any third party, according to the Chinese official readout.
This is Rahman’s first trip to China since Tarique Rahman’s new administration came to office in February of this year.
Rahman was in India last month. His discussions with Indian politicians were closely monitored in Beijing, where relations between Dhaka and New Delhi were strained as Muhammad Yunus’s interim government became closer to China and Pakistan following Sheikh Hasina’s downfall.
China has long expressed interest in the TRCMRP project, which is located close to India’s strategically important Siliguri Corridor that links the mainland with the northeastern region.
In this context, India extended technical and conservation support for the Teesta basin in 2024, as part of its efforts to strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh on shared river management issues.
Water sharing continues to be a sensitive aspect of India-Bangladesh relations. The Ganges Water Treaty, signed in 1996 for a 30-year period to regulate dry-season water distribution, is set to expire this year unless it is renewed.
These developments come amid China’s growing economic and diplomatic engagement with Bangladesh in recent years.
China is currently Bangladesh’s fourth-largest creditor, after Japan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. Since 1975, it has provided loans totaling around USD 7.5 billion, according to Bangladeshi media reports.
At a meeting held on Wednesday, Bangladesh and China agreed to strengthen coordination between their development strategies to further advance their Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership.
Bangladesh reaffirmed its commitment to the One-China policy and reiterated that Taiwan is an integral part of China, also expressing opposition to any form of “Taiwan independence,” as reported by BSS.
In response, China reiterated its support for Bangladesh’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and backed the country’s chosen development path.