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Bangladesh’s China pivot puts its India ties under ‘intense strain’
A year after anti-Hasina protests, Dhaka, Beijing and Islamabad deepen engagement, sparking worry in New Delhi
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Protests in Bangladesh that toppled the government last year triggered a diplomatic pivot, with Dhaka warming towards China after neighbouring India was angered by the ousting of its old ally Sheikh Hasina.
One year since the protests, that realignment risks intensifying polarisation – and fears of external interference – as political parties in Bangladesh jostle for influence ahead of elections next year.
For the caretaker government, seeking domestic consensus for overhauling democratic institutions in the country of 170 million people, it is another challenge to juggle.
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“India-Bangladesh relations have probably never experienced such intense strain before,” said New Delhi-based analyst Praveen Donthi, from the International Crisis Group.
There is deep resentment in Dhaka over the fate of fugitive ex-prime minister Hasina, who escaped a student-led uprising by helicopter in August 2024 and flew to New Delhi as thousands of protesters stormed her palace.
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Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said popular anger in Muslim-majority Bangladesh had been “transferred over to India” because Hasina was offered sanctuary by New Delhi’s Hindu nationalist government.
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