BANGLADESH-CHINA RELATIONS : AN ASSESSMENT

This article provides a comprehensive assessment of Bangladesh-China relations in the early post-Cold War era. It traces the history of the relationship from the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975, highlighting its development into a close and multifaceted partnership. The study examines the key dimensions of the relationship: political, economic, and military. In the political sphere, it analyzes the strong diplomatic support and the convergence of views on many international issues. In the economic sphere, it assesses the growing trade relationship and China's role as a significant provider of development assistance and project aid. In the military dimension, the paper discusses China's emergence as the primary supplier of defense hardware to the Bangladesh armed forces. The research argues that the relationship is based on a solid foundation of mutual respect, shared interests, and non-interference. The analysis concludes by evaluating the prospects for the further strengthening and diversification of this important bilateral partnership in the new global context.

The bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and China, established in 1975, had evolved into one of Bangladesh's most important and reliable foreign partnerships by the early 1990s. This paper offers a thorough assessment of the key pillars of this relationship. The study begins with an overview of the political and diplomatic ties, emphasizing the high-level visits and the consistent support China has provided to Bangladesh in various international forums. It highlights the shared principles of the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" as the normative foundation of their interaction. The second part of the paper is a detailed examination of the economic relationship. It analyzes the bilateral trade balance and discusses China's significant contribution to Bangladesh's infrastructure development through the financing and construction of major projects, such as the Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridges. The third and most critical part of the analysis focuses on the security dimension. It details how, in the face of limitations on sourcing equipment from the West, China became the single most important and reliable supplier of military hardware for all three services of the Bangladesh armed forces. The findings suggest that the relationship is a model of cooperation between two developing countries of vastly different size and power. It is a pragmatic partnership built on a strong convergence of political, economic, and strategic interests, and one that was poised to deepen further in the post-Cold War era.