China courts Bangladesh's big parties amid calls for parliamentary election

A 22-member delegation from Bangladesh, including political leaders, civil society activists, academics, and journalists, has embarked on a 10-day visit to China at Beijing’s invitation, which analysts view as a sign of China’s diplomatic outreach amid rising tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi.

According to a BBC report, the delegation will hold discussions with Chinese government officials and senior members of the ruling Communist Party.

Diplomatic relations between once-close allies India and Bangladesh have been prickly since August, when former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh after a public uprising.

Hasina has been living in exile in India, and Delhi has denied Dhaka’s request for her extradition.

“It’s basically a goodwill visit, initiated by Beijing,” BBC quoted Abdul Moyeen Khan, a senior official from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) who’s leading the delegation in Beijing, as saying.

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“It is unique because China this time has invited a team representing various groups in Bangladesh,” he added.

According to the report, many members of the delegation are from the BNP and its allies, with the BNP, led by former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, being one of Bangladesh’s main political parties alongside Hasina’s Awami League.

The group also includes representatives from the student movement that sparked the mass uprising against Hasina, which led to her ousting in August last year.

Currently, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is in power.

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This government has been urging India to repatriate Hasina to face charges of crimes against humanity and money laundering. The UN reports that Hasina’s government’s crackdown on protesters during the uprising resulted in about 1,400 deaths.

So far, India has shown no indication of extraditing Hasina, who denies the allegations.

Delhi and Dhaka maintained close ties during Hasina’s 15-year rule, where she was viewed by critics as pro-India while also balancing relations with Beijing.

Since Hasina’s ousting, Beijing has increased its engagement with Bangladeshi leaders, activists, and delegations, including those from Islamist parties.

This week’s visit follows a January meeting in Beijing between the interim government’s foreign policy advisor, Touhid Hossain, and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. It also marks the BNP’s second visit to China in recent months, following a delegation hosted by Beijing late last year, reported BBC.

According to the report, citing analysts, with political vacuum and reduced Indian influence, Beijing is seeking to strengthen its foothold in Bangladesh, a nation of approximately 170 million people.

China is Bangladesh’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching about $24 billion (£19 billion), predominantly consisting of Chinese exports to the South Asian nation.

Additionally, the Bangladeshi military relies heavily on Chinese equipment and ammunition, with over 70% of its supplies sourced from China.

In contrast to Beijing’s outreach, India has had limited interactions with the interim Bangladeshi government and political leaders over the past six months, reported BBC.

In December, the BNP protested against India’s alleged interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs by hosting Hasina, with some advisors from the interim government echoing this criticism.

This backlash prompted a strong response from Delhi, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying last week that it is up to Bangladesh to determine “what kind of relationship they want with us,” calling the criticisms from Bangladeshi officials “absolutely ridiculous.”

Some analysts suggest that this escalating tension between Dhaka and Delhi could drive Bangladesh closer to China.

Recent developments indicate that Bangladesh is now vying for influence alongside other South Asian nations like Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Nepal, as both Delhi and Beijing seek to extend their reach in the region.

“I don’t believe India should consider the whole subcontinent is under Delhi’s sphere of influence. That attitude would make India suffer,” BBC quoted Chinese analyst Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, as saying.

Bangladesh is due to go to polls likely by December this year or by March next year, according to a Dhaka Tribune report, citing Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Mohammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government.

Shafiqul emphasised that the issue has been discussed multiple times, and Yunus, along with several advisers, has addressed it.

With inputs from agencies