Beijing: China is getting more and more ambitious vis-à-vis its connectivity in South Asia.
Having invested big in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Beijing has now proposed an economic corridor linking China to Bangladesh through Myanmar.
The proposed China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Economic Corridor (CMBC) came up during Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Beijing last month. China proposed the transnational economic corridor as part of broader efforts to deepen bilateral ties, according to reports.
“We had proposed the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor about 15 years ago and achieved some progress. But due to various reasons, we have not achieved the results China had expected,” Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said on Thursday.
Asked whether India could join, he said that it is open to other countries “if they are willing.”
The proposed corridor will start in Kunming, capital of China’s Yunnan province, and run through Mandalay in Myanmar. From there, one branch will head to Yangon and another to the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port in Rakhine State.
China wants to extend it further into Bangladesh via Rakhine, linking with Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, thereby giving Beijing a direct route to Chattogram and Mongla ports on the Bay of Bengal.
According to the ambassador, the aim of the corridor is connectivity and regional economic cooperation.
However, India will look at it closely as the plan reflects China’s effort to expand its footprint in and around the Bay of Bengal.
The CPEC, which connects western China to Balochistan through Indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan, is already a concern for India. New Delhi has opposed the project in no uncertain terms, saying that it violates India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity because it passes through Gilgit-Baltistan.
Bangladesh hasn’t yet said yes to Chinese proposal of CMBC. One major point to be considered by Dhaka is that the proposed corridor will have to pass through Myanmar, a country ravaged by civil war with several strategic areas no longer being under the control of the military junta.
