Engaging the Asian Giants: India, China and Bangladesh’s Crucial Balancing Act

Bangladesh has engaged both India and China as they fulfill its aspirations for development without raising the apprehensions of either. High-level visits between Bangladesh and India and the resolution of some of the long pending issues have removed some earlier distrust, greatly institutionalizing the relationship between the two. India opposes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), while Bangladesh is a participant. China shares a robust relationship with the military of Bangladesh, while security cooperation between India and Bangladesh is nascent, involving capacity building and cooperation to meet non-traditional security challenges. Bangladesh has kept the sensitivities of the two countries in mind as it engages with both. Therefore, it has built its energy and infrastructure with the largest credit line ever offered by India while also engaging with China to invest massively in infrastructure projects. Bangladesh is the only country in South Asia to have profited from relations with both India and China in such a way. In this study, four sectors have been selected in which Bangladesh has engaged both countries and benefitted immeasurably.