China makes a show in Bangladesh

Muhammad Yunus’ Beijing visit yielded nothing, but much is being made of China

At one level, it is quite amazing. Thousands of drones took to the skies to celebrate Bangladesh’s ‘New Year’ 1432. The occasion was celebrated with great joy throughout the country, marking a break from almost continuous protests, the worst of which was a massive protest on Palestine just a day earlier, which lead the interim government to issue an injunction to ban travel to Israel on all passports.

But that’s par for the course in today’s Bangladesh. What was notable was that the massive drone show was organised by China. Its theme was even more interesting: ‘New Year, New Bangladesh’.

Tribute to the ‘warriors’

The impressive show was organised by the government and China’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen. The display featured 2,600 drones with 12 motifs.

The first was a tribute to the 'warriors' of the July uprising, visuals reflecting the ‘joy of liberation’, and the ‘courageous sacrifice’ of Abu Sayed. Sayed was said to have been killed in police firing on protestors in July 16. This became the first murder case filed against Sheikh Hasina. A second visual was on the Palestine struggle, which resounded powerfully with the audience, given the rally of some 100,000 people earlier in its support.

China — while not allowing a single protest — backs the cause diplomatically, and encourages it elsewhere. Other visuals showered praise on Bangladesh-China ties, with a finale of a person holding a Bangladesh flag, in an image which looked remarkably like that the Chinese use for glorifying their revolutions.

All very slick with some 14-plus Chinese (involved in organising it), Wen, and a bevy of foreign guests seated upfront. In other words, China showcased its support for the revolution even while it has yet to provide Bangladesh with a single monetary commitment to alleviate its economic crisis.

Starlink demo

Days earlier, Dhaka held the Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025, which reportedly saw 2,300 delegates from 50 countries, including India. The show did credit to the young team headed by Nahian Rahman, Head of Business Development at the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), and Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Executive Chairman of BIDA. The summit showcased a live demo of Starlink’s satellite Internet services, to send a signal that the country was set to come out of the abyss of poor connectivity.

The signing of the Artemis Accords, to which China is not a signatory, also showcased the US’ presence. The first official US delegation under Donald Trump is currently in Dhaka. Meanwhile, the Chinese delegation of 147 persons was the largest in the summit, and the only country to ink agreements, albeit for a paltry $150 million in the garment industry. That, however, is expected to create 15,000 jobs.

China already has a considerable FDI portfolio which has risen steeply in recent times, to become the second largest source of FDI. But Muhammad Yunus’ visit to Beijing last month yielded nothing but vague assurances to reduce interest rates. Hasina’s earlier request for a $5 billion soft loan was flatly refused. Nonetheless, much is being made of China, with prominent dailies headlining their major scientific contributions.

And to India….

One can’t help but contrast this with Bangladesh’s attitude to India. Late last month, Bangladesh halted yarn imports via four land borders based on the demands of small entrepreneurs, who complained that yarn was being smuggled in and undercutting their business. It was argued, rather surprisingly, that it was far easier to import via sea, and that these posts lacked testing facilities as well. The move was opposed by leading exporters, who called it ‘suicidal’.

To many, this would have seemed to be another action against India — this just after Yunus’ ridiculous suggestion in China of a ‘land-locked’ north-east and China using Bangladesh’s ‘ocean power’ for the purpose. On April 8, India rescinded its circular of June 2020, allowing Dhaka to use Indian ports for shipment to third countries, barring Bhutan and Nepal.

Available data seems to show that this is a massive hit to Bangladeshi producers, and to Indian logistics providers as well. While Dhaka has officially played this down, there is no doubt that the move has put relations into a tailspin. Keep in mind that Bangladesh enjoys almost entire duty-free access to Indian markets, apart from a generous aid of Rs 120 crore every year. There are no grants from China, except for school uniforms and such.

After a long period of patient diplomacy, New Delhi seems to have decided to retaliate against an irresponsible and unelected regime in Dhaka. This policy, while understandable, is likely to be difficult for three reasons. Ordinary Bangladeshis with strong commercial and personal ties to India are the ones most hit, which is hardly the intention.

Second, China is upscaling its presence, though not its purse, playing up the contrast with India in its ‘support’ to the revolution. Third, with the US back in Bangladesh, a competition for influence is brewing.

Yunus could congratulate himself on this result, but history shows that great power competition — and in this region India is a power to reckon with — has done nothing but harm to countries, especially when the government itself is of dubious international standing.

(Tara Kartha, former director, National Security Council Secretariat, is Director(R&A), Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi. X: @kartha_tara)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.