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India to Invest in Teesta Project in Bangladesh to Check Chinese Interference?

  • By Thetripurapost Web Desk, Dhaka
  • May 10, 2024
  • 64

India has expressed its desire to invest in Bangladesh's Teesta Economic Zone Project. This offer from India has been made at a time when China is also willing to finance this project.

India's interest in the dredging and development project will transform the Teesta river belt into an area of ​​economic activity. 

India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmood in Dhaka and discussed several issues. 

Teesta is a major river between India and Bangladesh, flowing on both sides. Apart from Teesta, India is also keeping an eye on China's growing military partnership with Bangladesh, including anti-terrorism exercises to be held this month. India is also closely monitoring the development of a submarine base being built by China at Pekua in Cox's Bazar.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmood said after meeting Vinay Kwatra, 'You know that we have taken up a big project on Teesta. India wants to finance this project. It has to be implemented according to our needs because we want to see our needs fulfilled. The purpose of Kwatra's visit was to finalize the proposed visit of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to India in June or July in the backdrop of China's growing influence in Bangladesh, including in the defense sector'.

Hasan Mahmood has said that PM Hasina will definitely come to India. On the question of visiting India and China first, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh said that New Delhi and Dhaka are close in terms of distance. This indicates that PM Hasina will visit India before China. Regarding border killings, 


Hasan said there is no lack of will at the government and political levels to end border killings. We have discussed the issue in detail. We have emphasized the use of non-lethal weapons.

Vinay Kwatra, during his visit to Dhaka, reviewed the wide-ranging bilateral relations including political and security, water, trade and investment, power and energy, defence, connectivity and sub-regional cooperation. 

The two sides also discussed the proposed plan to import hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan through India. They also discussed ways to further ease the visa process for Bangladeshis planning to visit India. 

There has been a huge increase in the number of Bangladeshi citizens traveling to India for tourism, business and health purposes.