DHAKA: In the midst of strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh on Monday visited a Teesta project area close to the strategic Siliguri corridor or Chicken’s Neck — a 22-km narrow land strip — between India’s mainland and its Northeastern states.Chinese envoy Yao Wen’s visit was related to an technical assessment being carried out under the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, said the interim govt headed by Muhammad Yunus whose last year controversial pitch for “extension of the Chinese economy” and India’s “landlocked” Northeast remarks echoed in the Dec anti-India protests that targeted Indian diplomatic facilities in Dhaka and other Bangladeshi cities.Water resources adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, who accompanied Yao to the project area in Rangpur’s Tepamadhupur Taluk Shahbazpur, said China is keen to start implementation of Teesta Master Plan (TMP) as soon as possible. She said both Bangladesh and China are committed to implementing TMP. However, as the scrutiny process of project is not yet complete, it is not possible to start work at this time, Hasan said.While for Bangladesh, Teesta is a lifeline for agriculture and livelihoods in its northern districts, for India — West Bengal — its equally critical. Hence, a Teesta water-sharing strategy has stretched over decades and a final agreement has remained elusive due to concerns from West Bengal govt.Following a meeting between Yao and national security adviser Khalilur Rahman Sunday, chief adviser Yunus’s press wing posted on X, “Both sides exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, reaffirming longstanding friendship and development cooperation between Bangladesh and China.”“Discussions included Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project and proposed Bangladesh–China Friendship Hospital. In this context, Chinese ambassador informed that he would visit Teesta project area, and reiterated China’s commitment to completing the ongoing technical assessment expeditiously,” it said.The ambassador also reaffirmed his govt’s continued support for Bangladesh’s ongoing democratic transition and conveyed best wishes for the successful conduct of the forthcoming national elections, the press wing said.Yunus, who was appointed chief adviser in 2024, during an interview in China in 2025 had urged Beijing to establish strong economic infrastructure in Bangladesh by leveraging its strategic position as “only guardian of the ocean” in the region.
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