Indian Adani Group (Gujarat based, has ties with Modi) eyes Sonadia deep sea port

[kalu_miah]

Indian Adani Group eyes Sonadia deep sea port

Indian Adani Group eyes Sonadia deep sea port
July 7, 2014 1:08 am
Shakhawat Hossain

Indian conglomerate Adani Group has shown interest to construct the Sonadia deep seaport in the Bay of Bengal, after Dhaka held back awarding the billion dollar deal to Beijing in the last minute.

Shipping ministry officials said the Adani group, led by Gautam Adani, a man with strong ties to India’s new prime minister Nerandra Modi, is expected to visit Dhaka this month to start negotiations on the mega-infrastructure project.

Shipping secretary Syed Monjurul Islam told New Age the group had already sought his appointment. ‘I have not yet given them any date but will give it soon,’ he said.

Monjurul did not disclose the issue at stake, however, other officials of the ministry said the deep seaport will dominate the meeting as the group has already inquired about the project in the Bay.

They said the meeting between Adani Group officials and the shipping secretary will take place this month.
The interest shown by the Gujrat-based ports operator and energy producer comes just after Dhaka and Beijing failed to strike a deal on the development of the port during a visit of prime minister Sheikh Hasina to China last month.

Shipping ministry officials said the interest of the Indian company – apparently furnished by the blessings of the Indian prime minister – will put the government in a difficult position, given the geopolitical sensitivity of the project.

The Adani Group had won many deals including power and real estate in India during the last one decade when Narendra Modi was chief minister of Gujarat (2001–14). The company’s annual revenue stands at US$8.7 billion.

During the last election campaign in India, Rahul Ghandi, vice-president of the Indian National Congress, alleged the money they (Modi govt) gave to Adani was being in turn used for his marketing (election campaign).

C Raja Mohan, an influential Indian foreign expert, during a recent visit to Dhaka said Delhi should back the consortium approach to regional infrastructure development, after Beijing signalled its readiness to work with India on the Sonadia deep seaport.

The Bay has already become a battlefield for establishing a sphere of influence between India and China because of its crucial geopolitical location.

China invested US$ 500 million to open the Colombo International Container Terminal in Sri Lanka in August 2013 and helped build a new US$ 450 million deep seaport in the southern Lankan city of Hambantota in 2012. Also in the last year, China took control of Pakistan’s Gwadar Port.

The Chinese progress on the world’s busiest international shipping lane has worried India.

Former secretary Wahiduzzaman, who was chief of a government committee on the deep sea port, admitted that the government preferred a consortium work on the construction given its geopolitical importance and also to maximise our benefit from the port.

The government wants to make the country a regional hub through the port by catering to the needs of neighbouring countries, he said.

The country needs a deep seaport as the existing sea port in Chittagong is not capable of handling large vessels, against a backdrop of growing incoming and outgoing containers worth more than US$ 55 billion annually.

The deep seaport has been identified as one of the six fast-track projects by the government. But resource constraint has held back the construction of the port despite the feasibility study being completed in 2009.
Centre for policy dialogue executive director Mustafizur Rahman said China had long been trying to connect its upcoming provinces with the closest sea routes.

Seaports in Chittagong could serve as a better option for them, he said, adding there is no problem building the proposed port with Chinese help, or help from others.

He suggested the government not delay further in finding a suitable source of funding.

 

[kalu_miah]

Chinese infrastructure spreading its tentacles around India? | Big News Network

Chinese infrastructure spreading its tentacles around India?
Big News Network (ANI) Friday 4th July, 2014

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor linking Kashgar in China with Gwadar Port in Pakistan took another step forward last week, with the announcement of preliminary studies into a railway between the two hubs.

The 1,800km-long rail link will run through Islamabad and Karachi, as well as disputed territory in Azad Kashmir.

Zhang Cunlin, director of Xinjiang's Regional Development and Reform Commission, announced this project, which will be enormously expensive considering the mountainous Himalaya terrain the railway must pass over.

There are other latent challenges too, with Pakistani militants conducting brazen attacks against key infrastructure such as airports.

A rail line, which has been in the offing for some time, will add to an earlier deal to improve the existing Karakorum roadway (which will include 200km of tunnels), as well as a proposed pipeline that will allow oil and gas offloaded at Gwadar to be pumped all the way to Xinjiang Province in China.

This USD18 billion corridor, supervised by the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor Secretariat inaugurated last August, will form a major trade gateway between the Middle East/Africa and China.

Chinese infrastructure investment in Pakistan includes Gwadar Port managed by China Overseas Ports Holding since February 2013. An international airport will also be constructed at Gwadar, and a fiber-optic cable will be laid from the Chinese border to Rawalpindi.

Pakistan is not the only beneficiary. China financed Sri Lanka's second international airport as well as Hambantota Port. China is funding Chittagong Port's modernization and a new deep-water facility at Sonadia to meet demand for cargo facilities.

The National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC), currently chaired by Xu Shaoshi, oversees Chinese involvement in these projects. The monolithic NDRC came in from criticism in March 2013 after it mandate was expanded rather than reduced by the National People's Congress. Major state-run corporations and banks (e.g. China Development Bank) are the primary agents executing and funding these contracts.

Such visionary and large-scale infrastructure projects on its periphery have India concerned about potential security implications. Is China deliberately containing and encircling India?

Indian academics and media quickly seized upon the 'string of pearls' theory that China was establishing a series of ports from which to dominate the Indian Ocean region. However, this notion is not backed by any substantive evidence to date, although this is not to say China could exploit such nodes in future years.

Instead, the revival of the 'Silk Road' belt and many other infrastructure projects are perhaps better seen in an economic-security light. China feels particularly vulnerable in that domestic factory floors rely on a regular and secure flow of raw materials and energy resources.

Much of its oil now travels 12,000km by sea through the Malacca Strait chokepoint, for example. In the event of conflict with neighbors and the USA, it would be very easy to place a tourniquet on this arterial lifeblood of the Chinese economy, since the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) does not yet have the strength to deploy long range to fully protect economic interests.

For a long time, therefore, China has sought to diversify and secure its economic lifelines. Hence the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which will allow goods to travel directly from the Arabian Sea to China. The same can be said of rail links and oil/gas pipelines from Central Asia to China. As further evidence of Chinese concern about its sea lines of communication, in 2005 a leaked US Department of Defense report claimed China was willing to underwrite the building of a new canal across Thailand's Kra Isthmus, which would dramatically cut shipping routes by 1,000km.

The Mekong River is another important trade route for China, linking the country's southeast area with Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. Chinese trade with Mekong countries multiplied eightfold from 2000-10.

As another example of China's economic interests, an 11,800km railroad that connects Xian to Europe has been operating since 2011. The cost of transporting goods this way is just a fifth of air cargo, and it is 20 days faster than by ship. The Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway is thus a cost-effective continental land bridge. These types of projects should alleviate concern that China is only interested in militarily containing India.

In fact, China is greatly concerned about its own internal stability, which is inextricably linked to continuing economic prosperity. If unemployment rises, people are likely to become restless, and this is something the government fears immensely.

China's advancement is patchy too, with its coastal areas prospering whilst inland provinces have been largely bypassed by economic growth. China's new and proposed corridors linking remote provinces with neighboring countries provide an avenue to bolster prosperity in its far-flung interior regions.

As well as solidifying transport links with Pakistan, China is pursuing another trade route - the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor. Beginning in Kunming, and stretching to Kolkata, it will encompass transport, energy and telecommunications links. The four countries had been discussing it since 2009, and Premier Li Keqiang said it would "advance neighborhood diplomacy" and "speed up" infrastructure links with neighbors.

China also wants a Maritime Silk Road, an idea first proposed by President Xi Jinping last October. This ambitious oceanic trade route will link China and Europe via stop-off points in Southeast Asia, India and Africa. In May, China provided initial seed money of $1.6 billion for this project.

China clearly has the capital to pursue such grandiose plans. It is not only funding startling levels of domestic infrastructure, but innumerable projects worldwide. Indeed, Beijing has allocated increasing amounts of cash to official development assistance, the amount nearly tripling in the 1999-2007 period alone.

Western countries have largely channeled foreign aid into social or health sectors in underdeveloped countries, while China is happily cashing in on infrastructure development projects. This is evident in Africa. Of course, the reason is not altruism on China's side either - for example, in return for USD10 billion in investment over the past 20 years, 70% of Sudan's oil goes to China.

China clearly has a policy of securing energy and resource supplies in return for infrastructure assistance. It equates to an effective form of soft power diplomacy too, where China can gain more influence around the world through the activities of its state-owned corporations.

There is no doubting that improved rail, road and port links in places like Pakistan benefit China militarily. However, such links could be easily severed by Indian airstrikes in any conflict, and it is difficult to imagine sovereign nations allowing China free use for military purposes under the current security climate.

Tibet, in Chinese territory, is the place where infrastructure projects have increased the PLA's capacity the most. The PLA has worked hard to forge a five-airport network, along with a series of forward landing grounds. It constructed a 5,500m-long runway at Qamdo Bamda, for example, creating the world's highest airport.

A key Chinese goal has been to establish reliable transport routes onto the Tibetan plateau. Highways have been upgraded for obvious military use, as has a network of axial roads leading towards the Indian border. The PLA maintains the 1,930km-long Qinghai-Tibet highway and 1,080km Geermu-Lhasa oil pipeline.

Up to 80% of Chinese military supplies to Tibet use highways. However, the 1,956km-long Qinghai-Tibet Railway that opened on 1 July 2006 has enormous bearing on the military balance. Nevertheless, these road and rail lifelines are extremely fragile and susceptible to Indian intervention during wartime.

Andrei Chang, editor of Kanwa Asian Defence, noted that Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30MKI fighters deployed at Tezpur give India an advantage over the PLA Air Force in Tibet. "For controlling the airspace above Tibet, the IAF enjoys an advantage against China in the quality and quantity of third-generation fighters, as well as its capability for rapid response. The Su-30MKI fighters deployed at Tezpur will be able to launch precision attacks upon the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, while it can also launch aerial raids upon any Chinese air force bases within the territory of Tibet."

China's infrastructural reach is growing. It needs to, to feed its insatiable economic engine. (ANI)

- See more at: Chinese infrastructure spreading its tentacles around India? | Big News Network

 

[kalu_miah]

The Importance Of Bangladesh For India - Analysis | Eurasia Review

Bangladesh - India relations


1, ANALYSIS, BANGLADESH, INDIA
THE IMPORTANCE OF BANGLADESH FOR INDIA – ANALYSIS
JUNE 24, 2014 SAAG LEAVE A COMMENT
By SAAG

By Bhaskar Roy

In tune with the Indian government’s active policy of good will with neighbors, Indian Foreign Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj will be visiting Dhaka on June 26.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed a very successful official tour of Bhutan in mid-June, just ahead of China – Bhutan talks, and returned assured that Indian Security Interests are high on Thimpu’s priority list. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing reflected positivity on India–Bhutan relations.

Ms. Sushma Swaraj is a very senior member of the BJP-Led government in New Delhi and her influence within the party and the government cannot be under estimated. Mr. Modi will visit Bangladesh soon enough as the schedule of the leaders are worked out. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to visit India first, and there is no misunderstanding. Trust and mutual respect are the keywords.

It is time that the foreign policy establishment worked on the India-Bangladesh relationship with the importance it deserves. Bangladesh has emerged as a country that cannot be ignored by anyone due to different reasons. China, Japan, the US, the UK and the European Union (EU) have been planning their strategic diplomacy in Dhaka all along, and this seems to have intensified in recent years. Dhaka’s relationship with Islamabad cooled down under the Awami League (Al) government led by Sheikh Hasina. And Sheikh Hasina’s coalition government has made Bangladesh the leading country in South Asia where social indices are concerned. This is no mean achievement. Bangladesh in beginning to emerge as the center form where connectivity could spread both towards the west (India, Nepal, Bhutan) and to East (Land route through Myanmar ending in Vietnam’s Ports).

Five Indian states have common borders with Bangladesh, something which can be made into a win-win situation through connectivity and trade. Of course, there will be opposition from different interest groups for different reasons. These must be overcome in due course but two major ones need immediate attention.

First is the Teesta River water treaty. Everything has been done. At the last moment West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamta Bannerjee refused to support the treaty on flimsy grounds, leading to a loss of face for the Indian government, and political setback for Sheikh Hasina and her government. Ms. Bannerjee does not understand the harm she did to Indian interests and the stability of Bangladesh.

The other is the land border agreement (LBA) of 1974 signed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sk. Mujibur Rehman. Where Bangladesh has even ratified the treaty, India is yet to move the bill through Parliament. The BJP opposed the move on the grounds that certain amount of land related to adversely possessed enclaves cannot be given away.

As foreign minister Ms. Sushma Swarjaj will have to deal with this very issue which she opposed, when it will be discussed during her Visit to Dhaka. It must be understood by New Delhi that no border/territorial agreement can even be achieved without give and take. A look at land border agreements between different countries will show to achieve an amicable settlement there must be understanding, concessions and the right spirit between the two sides. India has been long at talks with China on the border demarcation issue. This single problem leads at times to attendant problems and reflects on the overall relationship. The political leaders must answer whether they would like to remain in perpetual animosity with Bangladesh (and china). This is absurd.

The Teesta issue has raised another important question. How far can states interfere with foreign policy regarding a neighboring country? Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha scuttled Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Sri Lanka to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo. Certainly views of state governments can be considered but they cannot become over riding actors. Foreign policy is the responsibility of the Central Government because it is a wide and complicated subject. In both cases (of Teesta and Sri Lanka), states have hurt overall national interest.

These issues must be taken into consideration when prosecuting relation with Bangladesh. India suffered its worst relations with Bangladesh between 2001 and 2006 when the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami led four party alliance was in power.

While 43 years have passed, the issue of Bangladesh’s liberation is yet to be fully settled. The ghost of the liberation war has to be exorcised. The assassination of the founder of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman on August 15, 1975 almost rolled back liberation. Developments reveled that many politicians and military officers who sided with the revolution were indeed Trojan Horses of Pakistan. These people have multiplied especially with the help of Jamaat. The political ideology of the people of Bangladesh still remain in a whirlpool. But it can be said generally that support is divided between the Awami League, the BNP and the Jamaat, BNP and Jamaat being close allies.

Sheikh Hasina, after being elected in December 2009 as Prime Minister, used her huge majority in Parliament to lunch two initiatives. One was eradication of terrorism from the country, and the other was the trial of the 1971 war criminals for crime against humanity. One Jamaat senior leader has been executed, their mentor Golam Azam has been sentenced to life and cases against others are proceeding. This trial, which was long demanded by the freedom fighters, has set back both the Jamaat and BNP.

On the terrorism front Sheikh Hasina has scored unprecedented success. Indian insurgents like the ULFA, NSCN (I/M) and others have been rooted out of this country, and Islamic terrorists and extremists have been hit hard. Apart from Bangladesh India has been the greatest beneficiary of the Sheikh Hasina government’s action against terrorism.

At the same time it cannot be said that terrorism has been completely rooted out. It is an extremely difficult task because religious extremist ideology has been injected in section of the people in Bangladesh, and foreign funding to spread this ideology continues. Unfortunately, leading countries like the USA and UK continue to play a detrimental role in Bangladesh.

In the last three years or so relation between the Sheikh Hasina government and the West (read the US and UK mainly) have cooked. The left of centre ideology of the Awami League and its allies are viewed ideologically at variance with that of the west. Efforts have been made at regime change in Dhaka. The trial of war criminals was faulted by the West on legalistic and moralistic grounds. True, the January 5, 2014 general elections were boycotted by the opposition resulting in almost a walkover for the Awami League. But this could have been avoided if the opposition leader and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia did not take an uncompromising stand. Pressure continues from the West for a re-election but many countries including china, Russia and japan have recognized the present government and are doing business with it.

The USA’s Asia ‘PIVOT’ has elements of Bangladesh in its calculation. Like in Myanmar the USA is trying to quietly push its influence in Bangladesh to stem the expansion of Chinese influence westward especially in the Indian Ocean. Russia is quietly nurturing its influence in Bangladesh and getting the contrast for building the 1000 MW nuclear power plant in Rupur, Bangladesh, is an understated but significant achievement for Moscow.

Recently, Sheikh Hasina made two important visits – to Japan (May 2014) and China (June 2014) to diplomatically seal relations between her government and that of Japan and China, who have not pressured her for a re-election. It was clear that Bangladesh did not figure in the recent China – Japan conflict over Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea.

Japan pledged US $ 6 billion assistance over the next five years, and China got further contracts in Bangladesh infrastructure.

In strategic dimensions Japan would be seen as support to the US in Bangladesh, while China is consistently working on its strategic hub in Bangladesh to project power in the Indian Ocean region and more recently talked about a maritime silk route.

China appears to be getting impatient over the delay in the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCRM) road from Kunming (China) to Chittagong port city (Bangladesh). It is also keenly interested in participating, even in a consortium if need be, in the construction of the deep sea port in Sonadia Island in the Bay of Bengal, near Chittagong.

Pakistan is no longer a major power in Bangladesh, but will become one if and when the opposition returns. It is unlikely, however, that Pakistan would be in a kind of position it was in during the BNP- Jamaat rule of 2001 to 2006.

What can be seen is that Bangladesh is becoming a country of global strategic interest. India is still in a position to remove barriers and establish a strategic development and security partnership with Dhaka. Foreign Minister Ms. Sushma Swraj is visiting Bangladesh at a very interesting time.

Note: the author is a New Delhi based strategic analyst and can be reached at e-mail addressgrouchohart@yahoo.com .

SAAG

SAAG is the South Asia Analysis Group, a non-profit, non-commercial think tank. The objective of SAAG is to advance strategic analysis and contribute to the expansion of knowledge of Indian and International security and promote public understanding.

 

[Bilal9]

The Importance Of Bangladesh For India - Analysis | Eurasia Review

Bangladesh - India relations


1, ANALYSIS, BANGLADESH, INDIA
THE IMPORTANCE OF BANGLADESH FOR INDIA – ANALYSIS
JUNE 24, 2014 SAAG LEAVE A COMMENT
By SAAG

By Bhaskar Roy

In tune with the Indian government’s active policy of good will with neighbors, Indian Foreign Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj will be visiting Dhaka on June 26.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed a very successful official tour of Bhutan in mid-June, just ahead of China – Bhutan talks, and returned assured that Indian Security Interests are high on Thimpu’s priority list. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing reflected positivity on India–Bhutan relations.

Ms. Sushma Swaraj is a very senior member of the BJP-Led government in New Delhi and her influence within the party and the government cannot be under estimated. Mr. Modi will visit Bangladesh soon enough as the schedule of the leaders are worked out. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to visit India first, and there is no misunderstanding. Trust and mutual respect are the keywords.

It is time that the foreign policy establishment worked on the India-Bangladesh relationship with the importance it deserves. Bangladesh has emerged as a country that cannot be ignored by anyone due to different reasons. China, Japan, the US, the UK and the European Union (EU) have been planning their strategic diplomacy in Dhaka all along, and this seems to have intensified in recent years. Dhaka’s relationship with Islamabad cooled down under the Awami League (Al) government led by Sheikh Hasina. And Sheikh Hasina’s coalition government has made Bangladesh the leading country in South Asia where social indices are concerned. This is no mean achievement. Bangladesh in beginning to emerge as the center form where connectivity could spread both towards the west (India, Nepal, Bhutan) and to East (Land route through Myanmar ending in Vietnam’s Ports).

Five Indian states have common borders with Bangladesh, something which can be made into a win-win situation through connectivity and trade. Of course, there will be opposition from different interest groups for different reasons. These must be overcome in due course but two major ones need immediate attention.

First is the Teesta River water treaty. Everything has been done. At the last moment West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamta Bannerjee refused to support the treaty on flimsy grounds, leading to a loss of face for the Indian government, and political setback for Sheikh Hasina and her government. Ms. Bannerjee does not understand the harm she did to Indian interests and the stability of Bangladesh.

The other is the land border agreement (LBA) of 1974 signed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sk. Mujibur Rehman. Where Bangladesh has even ratified the treaty, India is yet to move the bill through Parliament. The BJP opposed the move on the grounds that certain amount of land related to adversely possessed enclaves cannot be given away.

As foreign minister Ms. Sushma Swarjaj will have to deal with this very issue which she opposed, when it will be discussed during her Visit to Dhaka. It must be understood by New Delhi that no border/territorial agreement can even be achieved without give and take. A look at land border agreements between different countries will show to achieve an amicable settlement there must be understanding, concessions and the right spirit between the two sides. India has been long at talks with China on the border demarcation issue. This single problem leads at times to attendant problems and reflects on the overall relationship. The political leaders must answer whether they would like to remain in perpetual animosity with Bangladesh (and china). This is absurd.

The Teesta issue has raised another important question. How far can states interfere with foreign policy regarding a neighboring country? Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha scuttled Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Sri Lanka to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo. Certainly views of state governments can be considered but they cannot become over riding actors. Foreign policy is the responsibility of the Central Government because it is a wide and complicated subject. In both cases (of Teesta and Sri Lanka), states have hurt overall national interest.

These issues must be taken into consideration when prosecuting relation with Bangladesh. India suffered its worst relations with Bangladesh between 2001 and 2006 when the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami led four party alliance was in power.

While 43 years have passed, the issue of Bangladesh’s liberation is yet to be fully settled. The ghost of the liberation war has to be exorcised. The assassination of the founder of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman on August 15, 1975 almost rolled back liberation. Developments reveled that many politicians and military officers who sided with the revolution were indeed Trojan Horses of Pakistan. These people have multiplied especially with the help of Jamaat. The political ideology of the people of Bangladesh still remain in a whirlpool. But it can be said generally that support is divided between the Awami League, the BNP and the Jamaat, BNP and Jamaat being close allies.

Sheikh Hasina, after being elected in December 2009 as Prime Minister, used her huge majority in Parliament to lunch two initiatives. One was eradication of terrorism from the country, and the other was the trial of the 1971 war criminals for crime against humanity. One Jamaat senior leader has been executed, their mentor Golam Azam has been sentenced to life and cases against others are proceeding. This trial, which was long demanded by the freedom fighters, has set back both the Jamaat and BNP.

On the terrorism front Sheikh Hasina has scored unprecedented success. Indian insurgents like the ULFA, NSCN (I/M) and others have been rooted out of this country, and Islamic terrorists and extremists have been hit hard. Apart from Bangladesh India has been the greatest beneficiary of the Sheikh Hasina government’s action against terrorism.

At the same time it cannot be said that terrorism has been completely rooted out. It is an extremely difficult task because religious extremist ideology has been injected in section of the people in Bangladesh, and foreign funding to spread this ideology continues. Unfortunately, leading countries like the USA and UK continue to play a detrimental role in Bangladesh.

In the last three years or so relation between the Sheikh Hasina government and the West (read the US and UK mainly) have cooked. The left of centre ideology of the Awami League and its allies are viewed ideologically at variance with that of the west. Efforts have been made at regime change in Dhaka. The trial of war criminals was faulted by the West on legalistic and moralistic grounds. True, the January 5, 2014 general elections were boycotted by the opposition resulting in almost a walkover for the Awami League. But this could have been avoided if the opposition leader and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia did not take an uncompromising stand. Pressure continues from the West for a re-election but many countries including china, Russia and japan have recognized the present government and are doing business with it.

The USA’s Asia ‘PIVOT’ has elements of Bangladesh in its calculation. Like in Myanmar the USA is trying to quietly push its influence in Bangladesh to stem the expansion of Chinese influence westward especially in the Indian Ocean. Russia is quietly nurturing its influence in Bangladesh and getting the contrast for building the 1000 MW nuclear power plant in Rupur, Bangladesh, is an understated but significant achievement for Moscow.

Recently, Sheikh Hasina made two important visits – to Japan (May 2014) and China (June 2014) to diplomatically seal relations between her government and that of Japan and China, who have not pressured her for a re-election. It was clear that Bangladesh did not figure in the recent China – Japan conflict over Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea.

Japan pledged US $ 6 billion assistance over the next five years, and China got further contracts in Bangladesh infrastructure.

In strategic dimensions Japan would be seen as support to the US in Bangladesh, while China is consistently working on its strategic hub in Bangladesh to project power in the Indian Ocean region and more recently talked about a maritime silk route.

China appears to be getting impatient over the delay in the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCRM) road from Kunming (China) to Chittagong port city (Bangladesh). It is also keenly interested in participating, even in a consortium if need be, in the construction of the deep sea port in Sonadia Island in the Bay of Bengal, near Chittagong.

Pakistan is no longer a major power in Bangladesh, but will become one if and when the opposition returns. It is unlikely, however, that Pakistan would be in a kind of position it was in during the BNP- Jamaat rule of 2001 to 2006.

What can be seen is that Bangladesh is becoming a country of global strategic interest. India is still in a position to remove barriers and establish a strategic development and security partnership with Dhaka. Foreign Minister Ms. Sushma Swraj is visiting Bangladesh at a very interesting time.

Note: the author is a New Delhi based strategic analyst and can be reached at e-mail addressgrouchohart@yahoo.com .

SAAG

SAAG is the South Asia Analysis Group, a non-profit, non-commercial think tank. The objective of SAAG is to advance strategic analysis and contribute to the expansion of knowledge of Indian and International security and promote public understanding.

Not doubting any of this except the following,

"And Sheikh Hasina’s coalition government has made Bangladesh the leading country in South Asia where social indices are concerned."

Of all the scumbuckety things politicians do - this one always gets my goat. Bangladesh' social indices were the result of years (if not decades) of NGO effort. Hasina's govt. has as much to do with this as Cow burps have to do with global warming. Right...gimme a break.....

 

[third eye]

Yet another doctored title !

 

[amitkriit]

Reckless jamatis want Bangladesh to make India ( a country with which Bangladesh shares it's longest land border) an Enemy and China (a country which doesn't even lie in South Asia) a close ally. May be such arrangement works in some parallel universe.

 

[Gautam]

Now this Adani group (Gujarat based, has ties with Modi) will destroy entire Bangladesh. There will be chaos all over that country. Only Allah can save it.

 

[TopCat]

Wrong signal. I am worried .

I saw in the TV the other day, the deal stuck on the issue of Sonadia Submarine landing station not the financial issue with China. For the very reason India cant get involved either I guess.

 

[notsuperstitious]

Doctoring titles = attention whoring.

Fits the trend and the section.

 

[Bilal9]

Doctoring titles = attention whoring.

Fits the trend and the section.

I think trolling=fishing/attracting controversy is as bad as attention whoring. If you say 'fits the trend' then you're guilty of the same thing.

I guess some of us in this forum have nine fingers. The missing finger is always up someone's (ahem) nether region.