China Woos Bangladesh on a trip to Beijing
The 22-member delegation of political leaders, civil society activists, academics and journalists, began a 10-day visit to China.
He will talk to Chinese government officials and high members of the ruling communist party, confirmed the leader of the delegation with the BBC.
Analysts say China makes an overture, while diplomatic tensions have increased between Bangladesh and India in a series of problems.
This includes the worn leader of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasin, who lives in exile in India. Dhaka asked for her extradition, but Delhi rejected.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a senior official of the nationalist party in Bangladesh (BNP) who led the Beijing delegation, told the BBC: “This is basically a visit to goodwill, who started Beijing.”
“It is unique because China has invited a team that represents various groups in Bangladesh this time.”
Many members of the delegation are from the BNP of his allies. BNP, led by former Prime Minister Beguum Khaled Zia, is one of the main parties in Bangladesh, except for the Awami league led by Hasina.
The delegation also includes several representatives from the Student Movement who started a mass uprising against Hasina, which eventually overthrew the Prime Minister in August last year.
The temporary government is currently in charge of Nobel Laureat Muhammad Yunus.
He invites India to return Hasin to confront accusations of crimes against humanity and money laundering, including allegations. UN says Hasina’s government breakthrough to protesters during uprising Killed about 1,400 people.
So far, India has shown no sign of the extradition of the Hasina who denying the accusation.
Delhi and Dhaka held close ties during the 15-year reign of Mrs. Hasina, which the critics were widely seen as pro-India. While maintaining close ties with Delhi, she balanced it with her relationship with Beijing.
After the fall of Hasina, Beijing intensified his interaction with Bangladesh leaders, activists and delegations, including Islamist parties.
This week’s visit is followed by a meeting between Bangladesh Touhid Hossain and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Minister in Beijing in January.
This is also the second time that BNP officials have visited China in recent months after Beijing hosted a BNP delegation late last year.
With the political vacuum and the absence of India’s influence, analysts say, Beijing tries to increase his stronghold in Bangladesh, a country of about 170 million people.
China is a Bangladesh’s largest trade partner with a bilateral trade of about $ 24 billion (19 billion pounds) – the vast majority of this consists of Chinese exports to South Asia.
The Bangladeska army also relies largely on Chinese equipment and ammunition with more than 70% of the stocks coming from China.
Compared to Beijing’s overture, India has had very limited interactions with the temporary government and other political leaders of Bangladesh in the last six months.
BNP held a protest in December, claiming that the Indian interference was in the internal questions of Bangladesh hosting Hasin. Some advisers to the temporary government also criticized Delhi on the same issue.
This criticism caused sharp reactions from Delhi.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said last week That Bangladesh on Bangladesh decided to “what they wanted with us.”
He described the criticism of India by Bangladeski officials and politicians as “absolutely funny.”
Some claim that all the tense rhetoric between Daka and Delhi could push Bangladesh toward China.
The latest events indicate that Bangladesh joined colleagues of South Asian countries Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal as the Meta deli and Beijing, while the super -with are passing for influence.
“I do not believe India should take into account that the whole subcontinent is under Delhi’s sphere of influence. That attitude would make India suffer,” said Chinese analyst Zhou Bo, an older colleague of Tsinghua University in Beijing, he told the BBC.