Bangladesh is now weighing a major option like maritime cooperation with China after having signed last June a pact with India on blue economy blooming in the bay, officials said.
Government ministries concerned are already doing the groundwork for the formation of a joint working group (JWG) on maritime cooperation, they added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) will convene an inter-ministerial meeting next week to make a decision on the formation of the JWG.
"We have such deal with India but not with China. We will sit next week on this issue," foreign secretary (maritime affairs unit) Khurshed Alam told the FE.
He, however, said the move is now at a very preliminary stage. "Let's see what happens."
Asked whether China has proposed the formation of JWG or Bangladesh itself is interested in this matter, Mr Alam did not make it clear. "Now I won't say who showed the interest first."
Replying to another question he said Bangladesh works with India on disaster and many other issues centring the Bay of Bengal.
During the Dhaka visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last June, Bangladesh and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Blue Economy and maritime cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
Another MoU was signed between the University of Dhaka and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, for joint research on oceanography of the Bay of Bengal.
Officials said China has become eager to sign maritime cooperation deal with Bangladesh after the two MoUs were signed between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Even days after the signing of those pacts, Beijing sent a draft of a MoU to Dhaka with a keen interest to sign a deal on blue economy.
A senior official at the Ministry of Shipping told the FE that after winning legal battles over maritime disputes with India and Myanmar, Bangladesh has already started chalking out plans to extract sea resources, which involves huge economic activities.
"Both India and China have interests over the Bay of Bengal and the two want to intensify their presence in the sea. So, both of them are keen to have maritime deals with Bangladesh," he said. Another official said especially China has come forward with various proposals, including funding construction of deep-sea ports so that they can stay present in the Bay of Bengal more visibly.
Fast spreading its wings now over free economic fields across the globe, the socialist country helped in construction of Hambantota deep-sea port in Sri Lanka for the same reason, according to his view.
As China showed keen interest in Bangladeshi port sector, India also recently came out with proposal to help construct Paira deep-sea port under government-to-government arrangement, he added.
Bangladesh and China have defence cooperation since dependence. The duo maintains regular contacts to negotiate weapons transfers, inspect military facilities, and explore areas of defence cooperation since 1976.
In 2002 the two nations signed a 'Defence Cooperation Agreement' covering military training and defence production.
syful-islam@outlook.com
BD considers maritime cooperation with China
Syful Islam | Published: December 19, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: December 18, 2015 22:39:33
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