BANGLADESH SHOWS TRUE COLOURS From ally to adversary as ties with India hit rock bottom

Strategic shift towards China, continued illegal immigration, and diplomatic cold shoulder mark end of era under Sheikh Hasina's legacy

- Pari Tikkiwal

The once flourishing relationship between India and Bangladesh, which reached unprecedented heights under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, has dramatically deteriorated since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took power in August 2024, with Bangladesh increasingly aligning itself with China while showing India a diplomatic cold shoulder amid rising bilateral tensions and post-Operation Sindoor developments.

The dramatic shift became evident during Yunus’s controversial visit to China in March 2025, where he secured USD 2.1 billion in investments and cooperation agreements, signaling Dhaka’s decisive pivot toward Beijing. During this visit, Yunus made inflammatory remarks describing India’s northeastern states as a “landlocked region with no access to the ocean,” comments that Indian officials viewed as a direct challenge to the region’s connectivity and sovereignty.

“This opens up a huge possibility; this could be an extension of the Chinese economy,” Yunus declared while addressing a business meeting in China, effectively offering Bangladesh as a gateway for Chinese economic expansion into India’s strategic northeastern corridor.

ECONOMIC WARFARE THROUGH TRADE RESTRICTIONS