[🇧🇩] Warning To US & India: Chinese Construction Of Naval Bases In Bangladesh & Cambodia

Though China denies extending its sphere of influence by constructing naval bases in Bangladesh and Cambodia, these moves are being viewed with caution in New Delhi and Washington.
A renowned OSINT analyst Damien Symon who goes by the username @detresfa_ on Platform X published satellite imagery of Bangladesh's submarine base built with Chinese assistance on March 31.

"Monitoring imagery of Bangladesh's China-built submarine base shows the development of a dry dock on site, likely to support submarine maintenance. This enhanced defense cooperation endeavor by China helps Beijing solidify its presence & influence in the region," he wrote in a post on X.

The recent images showed a dry dock where submarine repairs are done. The length of the dry dock has been roughly estimated to be about 135 meters, and the width about 30 meters.
As soon as the image was posted, it became a talking point among Indian netizens, with some thinking out loud whether the Chinese would use the base for its submarine operations.

These concerns have persisted for some time now. Satellite imagery of the base published in December last year suggested that China had made significant progress on the naval base, and the size of the base indicated that the PLA-Navy would soon gain "logistical access" to the base.

Experts have warned that the Chinese submarines could call and dock at the Bangladesh port for refurbishment and servicing. The experts have labeled this as China's "submarine diplomacy."

A previous analysis of satellite imagery of the under-construction naval base in Bangladesh revealed that "Gaining a foothold in the Bay of Bengal would significantly level up the PLA's ability to operate farther from China's shores and create new challenges for India, as well as the United States and its allies."

As part of its military modernization efforts in line with Forces Goal 2030, Bangladesh ordered its first two submarines from China in 2013 for only US$203 million. The attack submarines are Ming-class Type 035G diesel-electric vessels, which were initially put into service by the PLA Navy (PLAN) in 1990.

A year after the submarines were delivered to the country, Poly Technologies, a state-owned defense contractor based in China, reached an agreement to construct a new submarine support station on Bangladesh's southeast coast for US$1.2 billion.

The 1.75 square kilometer base, named after the current prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, is known as the BNS Sheikh Hasina Naval Base. PM Hasina declared the base to be "ultra-modern" during its March 2023 inauguration. The ceremony was attended by several Chinese officials, including at least two senior PLA-N officers.
There is evidence that Bangladesh has already stationed its Chinese-origin submarines there. Once completed, the base will be capable of docking six submarines and eight warships simultaneously. However, concerns persist that some of these could be Chinese subs operated by the PLAN, a notion considered detrimental to India's security.

The US Department of Defense had also previously warned that both Bangladesh and Myanmar were on its list of locations where Beijing was striving to establish overseas military facilities.

Prime Minister Hasina had also noted that the facility could be used as "a service point for ships sailing in the Bay of Bengal" — a potential signal that the PLA-N may one day call at the port there.

While there are few details to get to a conclusive assessment, experts are worried that China is expanding under the cover of assistance for constructing benign and harmless naval facilities.

Submarine Diplomacy
[H1]A Snapshot of China's Influence along the Bay of Bengal[/H1]
China is quietly deepening its influence along the Bay of Bengal, a region intimately linked to Beijing's expanding overseas interests. Commercial satellite imagery reveals that China has made significant progress on a naval base it is constructing for Bangladesh's military. The base houses a pair of submarines that Dhaka received from Beijing two years before ground broke at the facility. China has likewise transferred a submarine to neighboring Myanmar to aid the embattled military regime.

Beijing's efforts to strengthen ties with Bangladesh and Myanmar are taking place amid growing geopolitical competition with India. As smaller powers in the region seek to shore up their military capabilities, India and China are striving to become the security provider of choice.
Over the past decade, China has increasingly filled that role. Since 2010, more than two-thirds of Bangladesh's arms imports, and nearly half of Myanmar's, have come from China.   
Military-to-military exchanges also support China's strategic objectives. Closer defense ties may help the People's Liberation Army (PLA) secure access to logistics facilities needed to sustain future naval operations in the region. The U.S. Department of Defense includes both Bangladesh and Myanmar on its short list of locations where Beijing has likely considered establishing overseas military facilities.

Gaining a foothold in the Bay of Bengal would significantly level up the PLA's ability to operate farther from China's own shores and create new challenges for India, as well as the United States and its allies.

Submarine Diplomacy: A Snapshot of China's Influence along the Bay of Bengal (csis.org)

[H3]China's plans for Bangladesh[/H3]
China's arms game with Bangladesh getting dangerous. BNS Sheikh Hasina is just a start
In December 2002, China and Bangladesh signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement covering military training and defence production. According to Chinese government designations, Dhaka and Beijing are in a "strategic partnership of cooperation". Bangladesh is China's second largest defence customer. The latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on arms sold between 2016-2020 says that Bangladesh procured 17 per cent of all Chinese defence exports while Pakistan was the top customer, procuring 38 per cent of Chinese defence exports. According to the SIPRI factsheet, Beijing is the world's fifth largest exporter of arms and weapons, accounting for 5.2 per cent of all global arms sales.

The 2002 Defence Cooperation Agreement allowed Beijing to cultivate successive governments in Dhaka as potential arms purchasers. China has steadily increased the items in its arms export list for Bangladesh. Since 2002, Bangladesh has emerged as an important element in China's expansionist designs in South Asia. While Dhaka needs economic, trade and industrial technology to tackle its unemployment woes, Beijing has successfully convinced Bangladesh to increase its military inventory so that it can flex its muscles in the event of maritime conflicts with Myanmar, which incidentally happened in 2016. That same year, China supplied two 056 corvettes, BNS Shadhinota and BNS Prottoy to Bangladesh – each ship armed with 76 mm and 30 mm naval guns and anti-ship and surface-to-air missile systems.

Bangladesh won its maritime disputes with Myanmar in 2012 and with India in 2014. The resulting settlements allowed it to increase its sovereign claim over the Exclusive Economic Zone to about one lakh square kilometres, an area almost equal to its land mass. While India was slow to suggest a technical support mechanism for exploratory purposes, Beijing quickly supplied military and naval hardware to help Dhaka defend its newly acquired maritime resources. China also sees huge potential in arming the Bangladesh Army along the Arakanese coastline and tackling tensions emanating from illegal Rohingya settlements.
China's arms game with Bangladesh getting dangerous. BNS Sheikh Hasina is just a start (theprint.in)

Vikings said:

@Old School bhai , it looks not only China is strengthening it's weak spot ( Malacca strait) by setting foothold in the bay of Bengal, but also it will be a pain on ass for India and their boss west!

What if in future China decide to wring the shiliguri corridore aka the chicken neck? With Chinese presence in the bay of Bengal it's highly unlikely India can fight them with their insignificant navy! I'm sure America lost chance of getting any base in this region after failed to remove the pro China establishment in Bangladesh!

Is NE India actually became a liability of India?

I mean if they didn't have it , they would have no worry to protect it!

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There will be a new polarization with China, India, and Bangladesh on one side. Chinese are business people, and so are the Indian ruling class. Most top leaders of the Indian BJP have business relationships with China. The only likely losers here are those people who banked on Indo-Chinese hostility. It is a big red flag for Pakistan!

Vikings said:

Big red flag for Pakistan?? I thought that Pakistan is closest ally of China!

However if BJP will be stronger , won't it cause imbalance? Aren't they hostile to Indian Muslims?

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Hahaha. You get the answer to the Muslim question by looking at the GCC countries. Isn't the GCC a significant business partner of India? The problem is that converted sub-continental Muslims believe they are more Muslim than the GCC, while GCC people regard sub-continental Muslims as nothing but beggars.

China's Biggest ally is money $$$$$$ ! Everyone knows that except in our country, Pakistan.