China offers to develop Chittagong port

[Choppers]

China offers to develop Chittagong port​

ANANTH KRISHNAN

China will offer its support to Bangladesh to develop its strategically-significant deep-sea port in Chittagong when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives here on Wednesday on a five-day visit.

“China has already given a positive response to Bangladesh's requests for help in developing the port,” said an official familiar with the initial discussions in the lead-up to Ms. Hasina's visit.

The two countries are also expected to step up plans to build road and railway links from Kunming, in south-western Yunnan province, to Chittagong, which will give China greater access to the Bay of Bengal port.

Ms. Hasina is expected to spend the weekend in Kunming, where she will inspect the section of the highway that has already been completed on the Chinese side, said officials.

But top of the agenda when Ms. Hasina meets Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday will be securing Chinese assistance to develop the $8.7-billion port in Chittagong. “It will be a great achievement if China agrees to use our Chittagong port, which we want to develop into a regional commercial hub by building a deep-sea port in the Bay of Bengal,” said Dipu Moni, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister, in Dhaka on Sunday.

Addressing possible concerns in India on China's role in developing the port and Beijing's growing ties with Bangladesh, Ms. Moni said: “It is not true that if we have good relations with India, we cannot build up a relationship with China.”

Bangladesh plans to increase the port's handling capacity three-fold by 2055, from the present 30.5 million tonnes of cargo to 100 million tonnes. Access to the port will be granted to India's north-eastern states, Nepal, Myanmar as well as to China.

“Developing the port is a very important part of China's co-operation with Bangladesh, and China is aware of its strategic significance,” said Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia Studies at the government-supported Shanghai Institute for International Studies. “So far, the hardware is far from sufficient. But Bangladesh wants to develop the port in a more extensive way, and wants more co-operation with Chinese companies.”

China has looked to secure greater access to Indian Ocean ports ever since President Hu Jintao voiced concerns of China's “Malacca Dilemma” — the country's current dependence on the narrow Malacca Straits to secure as much as 80 per cent of its oil supplies.

In November, China began construction on a 771-km pipeline that will connect Ruili, in Yunnan, to Maday Island in Myanmar.

“While there is currently no oil pipeline running to Bangladesh, access to Chittagong will be of greater importance in the future when this infrastructure is put in place,” said Mr. Zhao. “With the development of China's transportation of goods and energy in the Indian Ocean, China will certainly continue to attach more importance to this port.”

Brigadier (retired) Arun Sahgal of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, said China's investment in the port was just the latest of a number of “calibrated inroads” Beijing had made into the Bay of Bengal, following its earlier investments in Sittwe, Myanmar and developing oil and gas fields there.

“We can look at it as China assisting Bangladesh where it needs help, but from a geo-strategic point of view, we are certainly seeing an expanding footprint that undermines India's salience in the South Asian region,” he said.

The two countries are expected to sign at least three deals this week, including for the setting up of a fertilizer factory in Bangladesh and what will be the seventh Chinese-assisted bridge construction in the country. Chinese companies are also expected to clinch deals on oil exploration access off the coast of Bangladesh in talks on Friday.

The Hindu : News / International : China offers to develop Chittagong port

 

[Sinnerman108]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If this is true, and some how it does happen !

China will have deep influenced ports on both sides of India !

Which WILL cause plenty of unrest as I can imagine

 

[eastwatch]

China offers to develop Chittagong port​

ANANTH KRISHNAN

China will offer its support to Bangladesh to develop its strategically-significant deep-sea port in Chittagong when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives here on Wednesday on a five-day visit.

“China has already given a positive response to Bangladesh's requests for help in developing the port,” said an official familiar with the initial discussions in the lead-up to Ms. Hasina's visit.

The two countries are also expected to step up plans to build road and railway links from Kunming, in south-western Yunnan province, to Chittagong, which will give China greater access to the Bay of Bengal port.

Ms. Hasina is expected to spend the weekend in Kunming, where she will inspect the section of the highway that has already been completed on the Chinese side, said officials.

But top of the agenda when Ms. Hasina meets Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday will be securing Chinese assistance to develop the $8.7-billion port in Chittagong. “It will be a great achievement if China agrees to use our Chittagong port, which we want to develop into a regional commercial hub by building a deep-sea port in the Bay of Bengal,” said Dipu Moni, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister, in Dhaka on Sunday.

Addressing possible concerns in India on China's role in developing the port and Beijing's growing ties with Bangladesh, Ms. Moni said: “It is not true that if we have good relations with India, we cannot build up a relationship with China.”

Bangladesh plans to increase the port's handling capacity three-fold by 2055, from the present 30.5 million tonnes of cargo to 100 million tonnes. Access to the port will be granted to India's north-eastern states, Nepal, Myanmar as well as to China.

“Developing the port is a very important part of China's co-operation with Bangladesh, and China is aware of its strategic significance,” said Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia Studies at the government-supported Shanghai Institute for International Studies. “So far, the hardware is far from sufficient. But Bangladesh wants to develop the port in a more extensive way, and wants more co-operation with Chinese companies.”

China has looked to secure greater access to Indian Ocean ports ever since President Hu Jintao voiced concerns of China's “Malacca Dilemma” — the country's current dependence on the narrow Malacca Straits to secure as much as 80 per cent of its oil supplies.

In November, China began construction on a 771-km pipeline that will connect Ruili, in Yunnan, to Maday Island in Myanmar.

“While there is currently no oil pipeline running to Bangladesh, access to Chittagong will be of greater importance in the future when this infrastructure is put in place,” said Mr. Zhao. “With the development of China's transportation of goods and energy in the Indian Ocean, China will certainly continue to attach more importance to this port.”

Brigadier (retired) Arun Sahgal of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, said China's investment in the port was just the latest of a number of “calibrated inroads” Beijing had made into the Bay of Bengal, following its earlier investments in Sittwe, Myanmar and developing oil and gas fields there.

“We can look at it as China assisting Bangladesh where it needs help, but from a geo-strategic point of view, we are certainly seeing an expanding footprint that undermines India's salience in the South Asian region,” he said.

The two countries are expected to sign at least three deals this week, including for the setting up of a fertilizer factory in Bangladesh and what will be the seventh Chinese-assisted bridge construction in the country. Chinese companies are also expected to clinch deals on oil exploration access off the coast of Bangladesh in talks on Friday.

The Hindu : News / International : China offers to develop Chittagong port

Thank you for posting this very important article. BD citizens are eager to build a deep sea port in Chittagong and want it to be the center of trade encompassing BD, Nepal, Bhutan, Indian NE, Burma and Chinese mid-south.

Indian NE is virtually landlocked. So, its own external trade as well as its trade with other Indian States can be more efficiently done through a new CTG port. Therefore, I do not think, India will object if this project is partially financed by Chinese loan.

This is the first time I have learned that the Chinese are also equally eager to use the new port to do its external tradings. If one considers the geography, he can see that China does not have to depend upon BD for exit to BoB. China can use Burma to do the trading.

But, the fact remains that Burma does not have an infrastructure to make it possible. Its govt is inefficient and is totally unfit to run a modern economy.

I wish someday we can offer China an oil loading/unloading platform near Cox's Bazaar that can pump oil or gas to the Chinese mid-south through Burma.

 

[TopCat]

India pushed hard to get invloved in building that port. But they were shown back door...

This is a 10 bln dollar port eastwatch. Not 50 million dollar port that Myanmar built with chinese and indian assistance.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

China and Bangladesh alliance is Natural becasue , BD is east pakistan so the friendship bond could flourish just like the bound that exist now between China and Pakistan

BD is also very close to China so the trading would be very easy low cost for BD
and unlike India , Chinese army never interfere's with neighbour's business

Pakistan and China's friendship is just strong as an oak and depandable and trust worthy

It would be great to see BD (East Pakistan) on mix

A super speed train service form Pakistan - China - BD would be great for trade

Also a port in region would be great

 

[Al-zakir]

India pushed hard to get invloved in building that port. But they were shown back door...

Cool ! Very Cool!!!

They need to be shown same exist on rest of the failed projects, If any

I welcome china to finance and build this Mega project. China has the capability and trust between two country already there....

 

[imran iqbal]

China and Bangladesh alliance is Natural becasue , BD is east pakistan so the friendship bond could flourish just like the bound that exist now between China and Pakistan

BD is also very close to China so the trading would be very easy low cost for BD
and unlike India , Chinese army never interfere's with neighbour's business

Pakistan and China's friendship is just strong as an oak and depandable and trust worthy

It would be great to see BD (East Pakistan) on mix

A super speed train service form Pakistan - China - BD would be great for trade

Also a port in region would be great

Cool ! Very Cool!!!

They need to be shown same exist on rest of the failed projects, If any

I welcome china to finance and build this Mega project. China has the capability and trust between two country already there....

Best of luck brothers. Inshallah soon there will be train service linking bangladesh and pakistan to urmaqui, china

 

[aimarraul]

hope this plan will go well,it will definitely bring huge business opportunities for both bangladesh and china

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Cool ! Very Cool!!!

They need to be shown same exist on rest of the failed projects, If any

I welcome china to finance and build this Mega project. China has the capability and trust between two country already there....

India also tried to be involved in iran pakistan china peace pipe line untill they had upset stomach and decided to leave , poor iran they waited 10 years for india and in end they left them hanging ...

That is not good business practice

 

[Al-zakir]

Best of luck brothers. Inshallah soon there will be train service linking bangladesh and pakistan to urmaqui, china

I understand your love for bharat so try to understand our feeling toward our country. No hard feeling.

 

[Al-zakir]

India also tried to be involved in iran pakistan china peace pipe line untill they had upset stomach and decided to leave , poor iran they waited 10 years for india and in end they left them hanging ...

That is not good business practice

Hope Iran learned a lesson from this. Doesn't pakistan hold huge deposite of gas than why are you guys try to import it from Iran?

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Hope Iran learned a lesson from this. Doesn't pakistan hold huge deposite of gas than why are you guys try to import it from Iran?

Well nation is growing Zak , we need more energy clean - people friendly clean energy resource ...

So iran is just around the corner - so its logicaly to use eco friendly energy source which has no green house gas emission

Also it will reduce pollution in air -

The idea was that the gas line will pass thur india to BD as well but then India obviously objected , and backed out after 10 years of delays on indian gov part.

45% of cost for fuel, oil , goes in paying the shipping companies that bring in the oil from one country to another , imagine if we can just build a gas pipeline it helps people save cash .. .simple logic -

And iran wanted to supply gas to BD, China and other regions just like russia does to europe ...

But Indians could not agree, India did not wanted to pay fees to Pakistan 200-300 million per year even if it meant it would make 5-10 billion in savings from gas and also reduction in pollution.

Not to mention if it supplied the gas to BD then it can make cash too ...same old , greed

Now China will get that gas share becasue China needs to help its people get cheaper gas ...

Pakistan and China are continously working hard to work for its people

 

[idune]

On the real issue---

China has offered to build the deep sea port but what came out from ineffective FM Dipu Moni is that Awami govt is not leaning towards Chinese proposal. Instead Awami govt is going to ask China to use Chittagong and Khulna port.

Khula port is out of question as it is out of the way. And volume China needs to accomodate, Chittagong port is not good enough. If Awami govt do not take the offer China may well go to Myanmar and build port there to cater their needs. In such case port in Srilanka and Myanmar, BD deep sea port will have very little significance.

 

[TopCat]

On the real issue---

China has offered to build the deep sea port but what came out from ineffective FM Dipu Moni is that Awami govt is not leaning towards Chinese proposal. Instead Awami govt is going to ask China to use Chittagong and Khulna port.

Khula port is out of question as it is out of the way. And volume China needs to accomodate, Chittagong port is not good enough. If Awami govt do not take the offer China may well go to Myanmar and build port there to cater their needs. In such case port in Srilanka and Myanmar, BD deep sea port will have very little significance.

What is the Chinese proposal??? Could you share that with us?

 

[eastwatch]

Best of luck brothers. Inshallah soon there will be train service linking bangladesh and pakistan to urmaqui, china

No, there will be a large deep-sea port in CTG with Chinese assistance, and there will be a BD-Pakistan train route through India and Nepal under SAARC planning.