Bangladesh seeks China’s support in Teesta river restoration project

Beijing: Bangladesh's new government, headed by Tarique Rahman, has formally sought China's involvement and support for the Teesta River restoration project, a move that may cast shadow on New Delhi-Dhaka ties.

The issues concerning the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) was discussed in a meeting between Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday, according to state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency.

The Teesta River flows from the eastern Himalayas through Sikkim and West Bangal before entering Bangladesh, where it is a key source of irrigation and livelihoods of millions of people.

Expressing support for the new Bangladesh government, Wang was quoted saying by BSS news agency that China is ready to promote the alignment of the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Bangladesh's national development strategies and deepen cooperation in traditional areas like economy, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges, among others.

The government will also encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh, he said.

According to the Chinese official readout, Wang stressed that China's development of relations with Bangladesh and other South Asian countries does not target any third party, nor should it be affected by any third party.

This is Rahman's first visit to China after the new government headed by Tarique Rahman took over power in February this year. He arrived here on May 5 and is scheduled to leave on Thursday.

Last month, Rahman was in India. His talks with Indian leaders were closely watched in Beijing as the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus had moved closer to China and Pakistan after the fall of Sheikh Hasina, straining ties between Dhaka and New Delhi.

China has for years shown interest in developing the TRCMRP, located near India's sensitive Siliguri Corridor connecting the mainland with the northeastern states.

Against this backdrop, India in 2024 offered technical and conservation assistance for the Teesta basin, reflecting Delhi's efforts to deepen cooperation with Dhaka on transboundary river management.

Water sharing remains a key issue in bilateral ties, with the India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Treaty – signed in 1996 for 30 years to govern dry-season sharing of the Ganger river – due to expire this year unless renewed.

The development comes at a time when China has expanded its economic and diplomatic footprint in Bangladesh in recent years.

China is Bangladesh's fourth-largest lender after Japan, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, with total loans disbursed since 1975 amounting to USD 7.5 billion, according to Bangladeshi media reports.

During Wednesday's meeting, Bangladesh and China agreed to enhance synergy between their development strategies to advance the China-Bangladesh Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

Bangladesh reiterated its firm adherence to the One-China principle and reaffirmed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, while expressing opposition to any form of "Taiwan independence", the BSS report said.

China, in turn, reiterated its support for Bangladesh in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and expressed support for the development path independently chosen by the people of Bangladesh.