Thursday, September 16, 2010

BANGLADESH RIDING THE DRAGON

  1. By Manas Paul
  2. For New Delhi there is something indeed unsettling in Bangladesh. China according to newspaper reports on Wednesday (September 15, 2010) had successfully prevailed upon Myanmarese military junta to allow their territory to directly connect China with Chittagong. Besides, as the situation stands today soon China would lay its hand on Chittagong port for up-gradation and begin construction of a deep sea port at Sonadia island -nine sq.km picturesque tourist spot-located on the Bay of Bengal-seven kms off Cox Bazaar port.
    On 15 September, 2010 Bangladeshi newspapers reported that Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh
    Zhang Xianyi told Dhaka authorities on last Tuesday that Myanmar had agreed to the proposal for construction of a tri-nation highway connecting Chittagong and the Chinese city of Kunming in Yunan province through Myanmar. The message was conveyed to the Bangladesh minister for forests and environment, Hasan Mahmud. "Myanmar had kept its decision pending to a similar proposal made by Bangladesh earlier", the minister said.
    China and Bangladesh both are also going ahead with two more proposals.- Chinese assistance for up-gradation of Chittagong port and creation of a 'deep sea port' in Sonadia Island.
    "Xianyi told us that China would now provide support in the construction of the planned 'deep sea port' at Sonadi
    a", Mahmud said.
    In March this year, two months after her visit to India, Sheikh Hasina had gone to Beijing and requested Chinese President Hu Jintao to build the China -Chittagong road through Myanmar. The proposal had actually been first floated by her predecessor Begum Khaleda Zia in 2003.
    China-Myanmar-Bangladesh tri-national highway, Beijing's imminent presence in Chittagong and Dhaka's interest to Chinese offer to Sonadia port construction, would inevitably pose serious geo-strategic threat to India and affect New Delhi's maritime interest. Both Chittagong and Sonadia would give China direct access to the Bay of Bengal and in extension to the Indian Ocean.
    China had already got considerable trade and infrastructure development projects. Bilateral trade between Dhaka and Beijing is expected to increase to US$ 5 billion in 2010 from US$ 4.58 billion in 2009.
    During her China visit in March this year Hasina surely kept in mind the strengthening Sino-Bangla economic cooperation. A joint communique was issued which said: The two sides decided to establish a "closer Comprehensive Partnership of Cooperation" between China and Bangladesh from the strategic perspective and on the basis of the principles of longstanding friendship, equality and mutual benefit.
    Sheikh Hasina was open in her invitation to China. News items published on March 19, 2010 in various foreign newspapers said:
    "China can be benefited by using the deep seaport while all neighboring countries also can use it," she stated as a key speaker at the Bangladesh-China Business Forum. She also invited Chinese investors to put money in Bangladesh's promising sectors like textiles, small machineries, fertilisers, footwear and ceramics.
    "I would urge you to invest in Bangladesh which would be lucrative as well as strengthen further our two countries' relation," Hasina said.
    The prime minister said at present, 55 Chinese enterprises with proposed investment of US $ 292 million has been invested creating job for over 45,000 Bangladeshis.
    China was immediately responsive in agreeing to construction of eighth Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, Water Purification Project in Pagla, Financial and Technical support for construction of power plant in Bangladesh, strengthening organisational cooperation between China National Hybrid Rice Research Centre and Bangladesh Rice Research Institutes and waiving Chinese loan, besides China "Chittagong road link and port developments..Earlier in July 2006, China had declared zero tariff access for 84 Bangladeshi items, and preferential access under Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement.
    The Sino-Bangla relations that began with Gen Zia Ur Rahaman's visit to China in 1977 evidently took a leap forward with successive regimes despite the fact that Beijing was opposed to creation of Bangladesh with support from India during Liberation War in 1971. China, in fact, quite openly sided with Pakistan in 1971 with Henry Kissinger visiting Beijing and meeting Mao Ze Dong on behalf of Nixon to garner support for Yahiya Khan.
    However, in diplomacy things change fast and take an uncharted journey. Now China finds Chittagong an important destination to encircle India and breathe on her neck.
    Beijing had already got access to and strengthened its maritime interest in Arabian sea and Indian Ocean through Gwador port in Pakistan, Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka, Kyakpiu in Myanmar. A news item in Indian media on September 17, 2010 said that China would also develop a facility off the Colombo port. No Indian agency or compnay bid for the project. (No Indian company or govt run agency had participated for Hambantota also).
    China had created its huge naval base in Gwador in Pakistan.. The Karakoram highway that begins from Kashgar passes through 5,180 sq kms area -'Trans-Karakoram Tract' that in 1963 Pakistan ceded to China--through Gilgit Baltistan to Havelian in Abbotabad near Islamabad would eventually be connected to Gwador. In fact, it is through this route that recently 11,000 People's Liberation Army of China entered to Pakistan.
    Besides, from Kashgar another road passing through Aksai Chin would also connect Lhasa in Tibet and then would be extended up to Kunming in Yunan province. This Lhasa- Kunming road would pass through an area not very far from Indian Himalayan frontier across Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
    From Kunming the roads would then connect Chittagong with the proposed tri-national highway.
    On last September 10 China flagged off the construction of a road and oil and gas pipeline from Kyakpiu to Kunming (An'ning City) in Yunan in its own territory while Construction of the pipeline's Myanmar section began in June.
    "The 2,380-km long oil pipeline will end in Kunming City, capital of Yunnan. It is expected to carry 22 million tonnes of crude oil per annum to China from the Middle East and Africa". "The natural gas pipeline will be even longer, running from Kunming into Guizhou Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China for a total length of 2,806 km. It is expected to transport 12 billion cubic meters of gas to China every year. The project is the fourth way for oil and natural gas to enter China, after ocean shipping, the Sino-Kazakhstan pipelines and the Sino-Russian crude oil pipeline", said Global times of China on Saturday.
    The project is aimed at transporting oil and gas from Africa and Middle East region to Kyakpiu by ship and then to China. The project would be completed in 2013. China's largest oil firm & parent company of PetroChina, CNPC was entrusted with the task of is building and operating the pipeline.
    Intelligence reports had confirmed that while China had already got access to the Myanmar naval base in Hanggyi Island, it had for long been running monitoring stations at Coco Island, north of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
    China also completed first phase of Hambantota port in southern part of Sri Lanka which they claim to be a purely commercial project. However, experts feel that since the Gwador is located in Baluchistan in case of any trouble there Beijing would easily shift their base to Hambantota and have effective influence in the Indian Ocean. The three phase Hambantota project would complete in 2023.
    Needless to say, after Gwador in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Kyakpiu in Myanmar, Beijing succeeded in adding one more bead to its Indian Ocean centric geo-strategic policy-'String of Pearls' connecting Chittagong port in Bangladesh by road and also to strengthening its presence in Bangladesh considerably.
    Close to North East India, Beijing's strong foothold in Myanmar and emerging presence in Bangladesh with many projects in hand would serve several purposes. While it had ostensible economic plans and hidden military components, the strong strides of dragon in the region is also considered as well-defined Chinese counter-strategy to Indian Look East policy.
    This is a development that bears serious implications for Tripura which seeks an opening to the Indian Ocean through Chittagong port from Sabrum. Sabrum located in southern most part of Tripura is only 75 kms from Chittagong port.
    The clearly visible 'String of Pearls' policy not only encircles India effectively with far reaching economic implications but also contains her reach and strategic maritime interest and influence in the Indian Ocean. China's 85 percent of fuel requirement is supplied from Africa and Middle East. The fuel shipment passes through Indian Ocean, Malacca strait to South China Sea to reach mainland. Gwador port located near Gulf of Harmuz and having access to Gulf of Eden helps China monitor its fuel shipment while Hambantota would serve Chinese purpose of extending its influence in the Indian Ocean. Kyakpiu, Chittagong and Sonadia ports would help China to transport its fuel land transportation facilities avoiding Malacca strait and South China Sea. In fact Global Times said , The Kunming-Kyakpiu oil pipeline would save 1,200 km of fuel shipping. In Malacca Strait Indian presence from Port Blair is strong and in South China Sea US seeks to unsettle Beijing's hegemony. Not only Hillary Clinton in ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meet in Hanoi in July last clearly announced US stand on this but also Washington held joint naval drills with Vietnam and South Korea "much to Beijing's dismay only two months ago.

    Note : maps source Internet modification done by author. Not on scale.