Big decision of Bangladesh PM Tariq Rahman, will go on foreign tour first to China and not India, why did he do this?

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tariq Rahman has chosen Malaysia and China for his first foreign trip. This decision is being seen as the priorities of his new foreign policy. The special thing is that he did not choose India for his first foreign trip, whereas traditionally the Bangladeshi Prime Minister starts his foreign tours from India.

Tariq Rehman will start his journey from Sunday (21 June 2026). First of all he will go to Malaysia for 2 days. During this visit, trade, investment, energy cooperation, semiconductor industry and new employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers will be discussed. After that he will go to China on a four-day visit. There he will participate in the New Champions Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum called Summer Davos. During this time, he is also likely to meet Xi Jinping and Li Qiang.

What did the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh tell?

Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said that a total of 17 bilateral documents including 13 MOUs, one work project can be signed during the China visit. Teesta River Project is also included in these agreements. Under this project, dredging and embankment construction will be discussed. Apart from this, there will also be talks regarding modernization of Mongla port. The Bangladesh government is considering this visit as a big initiative towards strengthening economic partnership, attracting foreign investment and increasing regional connectivity.

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India’s special attention on Teesta project

India’s eyes are especially on Teesta project. Teesta is one of the 54 trans-border rivers on which India and Bangladesh have not yet reached a final agreement. New Delhi’s concern is that China’s reach may extend to those areas of Bangladesh which are close to the Siliguri Corridor i.e. Chicken Neck. This area is considered very important for connecting the north-eastern states of India with the rest of the country. Recently, the Bangladesh government has approved a $340 million infrastructure project for China’s economic and industrial zone in Chittagong. This project has been done with concessional Chinese loan.

Improvement in relations between India and Bangladesh

Although some improvement has been seen in the relations between India and Bangladesh after the election victory of Prime Minister Rahman, the tension in the relations between the two countries has not completely ended. The presence of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in India still remains a matter of controversy. Apart from this, the ongoing action against illegal immigrants across the border in West Bengal and Assam has also affected the relations between the two countries. In such a situation, Rahman’s visit to Malaysia and China is being considered very important in terms of South Asian politics and regional balance of power.

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