Bangladesh tests its India ties by seeking China's aid on Teesta
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has formally asked Beijing to support the country's US$1 billion Teesta River restoration project. The request signals Dhaka's pivot away from years of stalled cooperation with India. The decision risks tipping a delicate water-diplomacy balance in South Asia.
Bangladesh has asked China for one billion dollars in support to dredge and restore the Teesta River, whose flow shrinks further each dry season. According to the South China Morning Post, citing Bangladeshi state media, the request covers channel dredging, the rehabilitation of tributaries and the modernisation of irrigation infrastructure. The government of Tarique Rahman, in office since February, says years of negotiations with India produced no result.
Dams on the Teesta, controlled by India, set the volume of water that reaches Bangladesh's northern farmers. Citing internal state politics, India has long blocked a comprehensive sharing agreement. Beijing's involvement in the project worries Delhi because it could give China infrastructure access along a sensitive border strip.
Washington and Tokyo had also signalled they were studying financing options but never moved beyond declarations. If Beijing joins the project, the soft-power map of the Indian Ocean basin could shift further. The Bangladeshi government says the decision was taken 'on development priorities'.
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