India on Friday reacted cautiously to Bangladesh’s plans to develop the Teesta River and an economic corridor with the help of China, saying New Delhi was monitoring all such developments in the vicinity and would take “appropriate measures” in response.
During Bangladesh Prime Minister Tariq Rahman’s visit to China last month, the two sides reached an understanding on cooperation in the comprehensive management and restoration project of the Teesta River. Beijing also revealed plans to move forward with the proposed China-Bangladesh-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CBMEC).
When Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal was asked about these developments at a regular press conference, he replied that the Indian side is following all these developments in the region.
He added: “We are closely following all these developments in our region and taking appropriate measures as needed.” “On the Teesta issue, let me say that the development assistance provided by India to projects in Bangladesh is based on a mutually agreed roadmap, which is reviewed regularly.”
He said India’s views on the Teesta River Project had been “earlier conveyed to the Bangladeshi side”. “We will take into account all relevant developments in our comprehensive approach to the Teesta case,” he added, without going into details.
India has been warily watching Bangladesh’s efforts to lure China into major infrastructure projects, which were initiated during the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus and continued by the new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government led by Rahman.
In a meeting with Chinese Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying during his visit to Beijing last month, Rahman requested Chinese technical assistance for river management projects in Bangladesh, including the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project. Li assured Bangladesh of China’s full cooperation in water resources management initiatives. Chinese experts have already conducted a feasibility study for the Teesta project.
During a meeting with reporters in Dhaka on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen said his country is determined to move forward with Bangladesh and Myanmar in building the CBMEC. Yao also said that China is pressing ahead with government-to-government cooperation on the Teesta project.
The CBMEC project, if completed, will give China direct access to the Bay of Bengal. India also fears that Chinese personnel involved in the Teesta project could gain access to areas close to the so-called “Chicken’s Neck” or the narrow area linking the strategic northeastern states to the mainland.
During former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in June 2024, India indicated its interest in preserving the Teesta River within Bangladesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said at the time that an Indian technical team would visit Dhaka for talks on conservation and management of the Bangladeshi portion of the Teesta River, the only one of the 54 transboundary rivers for which the two countries did not have a water-sharing agreement.
