China’s BRI Push in Bangladesh Expands Trade Routes, Strengthens Bay of Bengal Footprint: Report

China’s infrastructure investments in Bangladesh under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are improving connectivity along key economic corridors while also expanding routes for Chinese goods and industrial inputs to reach the Bangladeshi market, according to an analysis by Dr Sakariya Kareem cited by Asian Lite International.

The development of roads, bridges, rail links and port infrastructure is also gaining strategic significance, with the analysis suggesting that China’s growing infrastructure footprint could strengthen its economic and geopolitical influence in the Bay of Bengal and the wider Indian Ocean region.

Kareem draws a historical comparison with India’s railway network under British rule. During the colonial period, major ports including Bombay, Calcutta and Madras were connected to inland production centres through railways. The analysis argues that the network was structured largely around the movement of raw materials to British industries and the distribution of British manufactured products into Indian markets, rather than around balanced economic development.

According to Kareem, China’s infrastructure engagement with Bangladesh similarly reflects a strong emphasis on economic interests. Through the BRI, Beijing has supported projects involving highways, bridges and seaports, helping facilitate the movement of Chinese manufactured products as well as semi-processed industrial materials into Bangladesh.

The location of these projects is particularly important from both an economic and strategic perspective. The analysis says Chinese-backed infrastructure has been concentrated largely in central and southeastern Bangladesh, particularly around the Dhaka and Chittagong regions, which are among the country’s most economically developed areas.

Bangladesh’s geography further adds to the significance of these investments. The Padma, Jamuna and Meghna are the country’s principal river systems and eventually drain into the Bay of Bengal. The Karnaphuli River in the east also flows towards the Bay near Chittagong, one of Bangladesh’s key maritime centres, the report noted.

The country’s extensive network of rivers and waterways has traditionally made inland navigation an important part of its transport system. According to the analysis, inland waterways account for more than half of Bangladesh’s total cargo movement and roughly a quarter of passenger traffic.

The figure stands in sharp contrast to India, where inland waterways account for only around 2 per cent of total cargo movement, the analysis said.

Many Chinese-assisted road and bridge projects are located around Bangladesh’s major river systems, creating transport links between Dhaka, Chittagong and important maritime gateways. These corridors also pass through areas that are central to Bangladesh’s readymade garment industry, the country’s dominant manufacturing and export sector.

The analysis suggests that the economic value of these infrastructure projects therefore extends beyond individual roads, bridges or ports. By improving connectivity between industrial centres and maritime gateways, they can facilitate trade while simultaneously giving China a deeper and more strategically significant infrastructure presence close to the Bay of Bengal.