In a development amid tense India-Bangladesh relations, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, visited a site near the Siliguri corridor, also known as Chicken’s Neck, on Monday. This narrow 22-kilometer land strip connects India’s mainland to its Northeastern states. The visit was connected to a technical evaluation under the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, according to the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. Yunus’s previous remarks last year about expanding China’s economic influence and describing India’s Northeast as “landlocked” had sparked protests in Bangladesh targeting Indian diplomatic missions.
Water resources adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, who accompanied the ambassador to the project location in Rangpur’s Tepamadhupur Taluk Shahbazpur, stated that China is eager to begin implementing the Teesta Master Plan (TMP) promptly. She added that both Bangladesh and China are dedicated to carrying out the TMP, but since the project’s review is still ongoing, work cannot commence yet. The Teesta River is vital for agriculture and livelihoods in northern Bangladesh, while it holds equal importance for West Bengal in India. The water-sharing arrangement for the Teesta has been under negotiation for decades, with no final agreement reached due to concerns from the West Bengal government.
As per a report in TOI, following a meeting between Ambassador Yao and Bangladesh’s national security adviser Khalilur Rahman on Sunday, the press office of Chief Adviser Yunus posted on X that both parties exchanged views on mutual interests, reaffirming the longstanding friendship and development cooperation between Bangladesh and China. The discussions covered the Teesta River project and the proposed Bangladesh–China Friendship Hospital. The ambassador confirmed his visit to the Teesta project site and reiterated China’s commitment to completing the technical assessment swiftly.
The ambassador also expressed his government’s continued support for Bangladesh’s democratic transition and extended best wishes for the upcoming national elections. Yunus, appointed chief adviser in 2024, had previously called on China in 2025 to build robust economic infrastructure in Bangladesh, highlighting the country’s strategic role as the “only guardian of the ocean” in the region.
Leave a Reply