PM Tarique Rahman May Visit China to Finalize Teesta Mega Project: Report

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman may visit China on an official foreign tour to finalize the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, according to a special report published Tuesday by The Times of India.

The report said that the Bangladeshi premier has received formal invitations from neighboring India and Bhutan, while a visit to China is also under consideration. The proposed China tour is expected to focus primarily on a deal related to the much-discussed Teesta mega project.

According to the report, the new government in Dhaka is placing strong emphasis on water management, and discussions with Beijing’s Exim Bank regarding financing for the project have already progressed significantly.

Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would “definitely visit China at a convenient time,” although the exact schedule for the foreign tour has not yet been finalized.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Dhaka Yao Wen described the upcoming visit as imminent, saying it would elevate bilateral relations between the two countries to a new height. He also reaffirmed China’s continued support for Bangladesh’s political stability and economic development.

Diplomatic analysts believe the move marks a significant geopolitical shift in post-Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh. China’s involvement in the strategically important Teesta project — located near India’s sensitive “Chicken’s Neck” corridor — has long been a source of concern for New Delhi.

Although the Indian government had formally proposed financing the Teesta project in the final months before the fall of the Sheikh Hasina administration, it remains unclear whether the new government is still considering that offer.

The Teesta water-sharing agreement between Bangladesh and India has remained unresolved for the past 15 years due to opposition from Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal.

However, some observers now see renewed prospects for progress after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party reportedly formed the government in West Bengal following India’s recent Lok Sabha elections.

Analysts say the key challenge for the new Bangladeshi government will be maintaining a careful balance between the competing strategic interests of regional powers India and China.