The Current Prospects of Bangladesh in International Affairs:
What is happening now?
Countries make friends
with others because they can help each other in need.
1/ The close tie with India
the Bangladesh government under the leadership of PM Sheikh Hasina has a good relationship with its neighbouring
country, India.
Swapping enclave: The
long waited India-Bangladesh enclave exchange deal was implemented (July 31 in
2015) by the two governments. Now 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India are
attached to the respective nations. A chitmahal or enclave is described as a sovereign
piece of land fully
surrounded by another sovereign country.
High-level official visits occur
between the two countries on a regular basis.
Visa processing and travelling
to India have become easier.
Trade and business relationship: so many treaties signed
Power plants: Rampal coal-fired power plant (1320 MW) is
being set up by Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL), a joint venture between Bangladesh's
BPDB and India's NTPC.
The transit and transshipments: Bangladesh
is going to allow transhipment of Indian products via Mongla
and Chittagong Seaports (from January 2020)
without charging transit fees and customs duties.
However, India will be required to pay taxes
for using ports and
pay fees for using roads. Time as well as distance
has gone down to 1/3 for
transporting products through Bangladesh
instead of present Indian routes.
For the educational needs,
the Indian government provides scholarships
to students who are descendants of Muktijoddhas.
2/ Solving maritime dispute with India and Myanmar
By the
judgment of ITLOS (2012), Bangladesh’s sovereign
rights in the Bay of Bengal is now recognised
and guaranteed. Bangladesh has also finished an old dispute over a sea border with its neighbouring country, India through the
Court of Arbitration. The undisputed rights help
the country to promote its blue economy (fish and natural resources beneath).
3/ Good relationship with Russia
The Rooppur nuclear power plant is being built in Pabna with cooperation with Russia. Moreover,
Russia provides scholarships to the Bangladeshi students to study nuclear
science in their country so the trained officials can run the nuclear plant.
Bangladesh buys helicopters
and other military equipment from Russia (the world’s second-largest weapons
exporter). Moreover, Russian Helicopters will train BGB members for operating
and maintaining helicopters and military hardware.
Bangladesh imports
RMG, seafood and leather items to Russia and
Russia exports machinery equipment, fertilizers,
crops, raw materials for the textile industry and so on
to Bangladesh.
4/ Japan and Bangladesh relation
Japan is always friendly towards
Bangladesh. The Meghna Bridge was built with assistance from the Japanese
government. Japan's International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has committed to give
$400 million for the Padma Bridge. Japan usually cooperates the country with the
construction of development projects because Japan can sell cars and other
electronics parts and machines to receiving countries. Furthermore, it wants to
gain supports from Bangladesh for the bid to join the UN Security Council, and
secure markets for their finished goods and services.
Matarbari deep seaport: With
funding from Japan (JICA), the Bangladesh government is going to build a deep
seaport near Cox's Bazar. Japan also assists Bangladesh to construct a coal-fired power plant (1,200-megawatt)
and a modern township at Matarbari (Maheshkhali
Upazila, Cox's Bazar).
5/ Sino-Bangladesh relations
In
1976, 5 years after Bangladesh’s independence, China-Bangladesh diplomatic
relations, friendship and cooperation were established and consolidated.
Bangladesh imports most
goods from China and China is the top
trading partner of the country. Chinese
government involves in economic and technical cooperation, investment,
power, culture and tourism. The country will also
aid rice to the Rohingya. China has shown an
interest in joining in blue economy of Bangladesh.
Due to the geopolitical
importance of Bangladesh, China has deepened its strategic
influence in the region (India's immediate neighbours)
with its economic expansion. Keeping close
defence ties with Bangladesh, China, a reliable and affordable source, provides weapons, equipment, military technology
and training to the Bangladeshi armed forces.
Moreover, 2 Ming class submarines were also imported from China.
The
Padma Bridge: China
Major Bridge Engineering Company builds a major road-rail project across
the Padma River and Exim Bank of China provides money
for constructing the rail link
accompanying the Padma Bridge.
Payra Deep-sea Port in
Patuakhali, a Belt
and Road Initiative project is being constructed
by two Chinese state-owned enterprises named CHEC and CSCEC. Outside of the port
area, the Payra Power Plant (1,320 MW
coal-based power plants) is being implemented by Bangladesh-China Power Company
Limited (BCPCL) with funds from Chinese Exim
Bank.
6/
The United States of America and Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s biggest
export market is in the USA. The United States
exports agricultural products, machinery, iron and steel products to Bangladesh. The
U.S.A. imports apparel, footwear, textile products, headgear, and
agricultural products from Bangladesh.
The USA has provided money
to
improve the lives of Bangladeshis and the U.S.A. involvement
with the Government of Bangladesh is helping produce more food, construct
more roads, and develop more teachers, skilled health care providers, and soldiers. Moreover, the USA
provides humanitarian support (the largest donor
to the Rohingya refugee crisis) to about 1
million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
7/
Bangladesh & Middle Eastern countries
The Middle East is the biggest international job market (the largest share of remittance) for Bangladeshi people. The
country also depends on remittance and oil from the Middle Eastern countries.
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