Lol! Just because india seems itself as a growing power doesnt make it one, secondly being a power does not mean that other countries have to go through your influence. BD is an independent country and they can choose themselves, how they want to proceed with their relations with both china and india and also pakistan. And that has nothing to do with being democratic or communist. What interest does india being a democratic serves to BD that china does not or for that matter what favour can BD get from india because india is demotratic, that it cannot get from china?
Get out of this democracy paranoia of yours and see the world the way it is and not the way you intend to
Ice cold you need to understand that given the geographical location of BD it will be completely unavoidable that it shall be falling under some kind of influence or the other. The question is not whether India is a democracy or not , the point is nation states that are relatively powerful will tend to exert their influence over the other , any nation state worth its salt would have been either under influence of another or would have influenced another one according to their strategic interest.
Say whatever may the internet warriors from BD, Bangladesh will have to be under the strategic influence of India, just like Pakistan exerts its influence in Afghanistan, like Russia exerts its influence over CIS, Just like the French exert influence over Africa.
The geography and the economic condition of BD does not help it either. We do have an interest in the affairs over BD, there is a significant amount of migration taking place across the border which is a huge problem in India.
Also one has to remember that economic relations dont always correlate with strategic interest. BD wants Chinese assistance in Railroads(example), then it is purely an economic decision based on rational economic decision, but however relating it to strategic interest and equations with India is a bit naieve. So according to T Rex'slogic if Manmohan sigh visits China then does India come under Chinese influence. What does Chinese premiers visit to BD have to do with Indo BD relations, is BD technically hostile towards China that Chinese premier's visit warants bellcosity between India and BD. Then Iraninan premier visited India does it mean that we shall be hostile towards US. The days of coldwar are over where you either belonged to one block or the other , nowadays relationships between nations tend to be modular and according to what they are comfortable with.
Accepted there has always been problems between the two nations, but pray tell me which two nations sharing a long border never had problems with each other, as I pointed out in another thread US has immigration and drug problems with Mexico, free trade problem with Canada so does that make them enemies , nope. These issues are bone of contention that will be solve through bilateral interest and negotiations. i think you seriously underestimate the potential and power of diplomacy and negotiations in conflict resolution, countries dont go to war or become hosytile because internet warriors want them to do so or due to certain problems with trade. Relationship with BD has been built over years and it will only be naive to underestimate Indian power and to assume that while Pakistan and China engage in such menuvers India will be static and well asleep
Cheers
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