by Mostafa Jamal Haider 11 February 2022
Today’s Bangladesh-China relations grew ever since the historic visit of Moulana Bhashani as the head of the delegation of Pakistan to China’s National Day celebration in 1963. The relationship between the two countries has been nurtured and taken forward in post-independent Bangladesh by Kazi Zafar Ahmed, as acknowledged by former Honourable Chinese Ambassador Mr. Chai Xi in his commemorative article in a Book of Remembrance on Kazi Zafar Ahmed.
Moulana’s historic China visit
Moulana Bhashani arrived in Peking (Beijing) in late September for China’s National Day on 1 October, and was given a heroic reception. He stayed on for several weeks visiting various towns and cities, meeting peasants, workers, and the last emperors. During his extended stay in China, Moulana Bhashani had meetings with Mao Tse-Tung and Zhou En-Lai. During these meetings, Bhashani emphasised the importance of China’s relations with Pakistan in countering the trio of US imperialism, Soviet revisionism, and Indian expansionism. These meetings created the foundation for enduring China-Pakistan strategic relations.
On his visit to China, Bhashani wrote: “I cannot compare my experience in China to anything else”. Although In the Country of Mao Tse-Tung (Mao Tse-Tung-er Deshe) is a fairly small book, Bhashani provides in great detail accounts of his visits with people, cities, and villages.
More than 2,000 friends from over 80 countries joined the celebration held in Tiananmen Square. On the rostrum was Liu Shao-chi, Chairman of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (de jure Head of State), Tung Pi-Wu, Vice Chairman of the PRC, Chu Te, Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Zhou En-lai, Premier of the State Council, Vice Premier Chen I, Peng Chen, Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.
Together with the Chinese leaders on the central rostrum were M.H Lukman, first Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Indonesian Communist Party, D.N Aidit, a senior leader of the Indonesian Communist Party; Amar Ouzegane, Algerian Minister of State, Robert Williams, African American leader, and his wife. Moulana Bhashani stood just beside Chairman Mao which shows his standing among the world leaders of his time.
Bhashani (front row) with Chairman Mao Tse-Tung at the National Day ceremony
Bhashani with Premier Zhou Enlai (R) and Foreign Minister Marshal Chen Yi (L)
Bhashani visiting a Chinese village and greeted by children
Bhashani visiting a Chinese farm with local officials
Bhashani greeted by school children
(Photos courtesy of Layli Uddin who did Ph.D. on Moulana Bhashani from Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2016).
Maulana Bhashani’s visit to China in the early 1960s was not confined to China-Pakistan relations; but his vision was to promote a much greater alliance of Afro-Asian countries that would enable them to advance economically and politically, independent of the big power machinations.
Historical roots of Bengal’s engagement with China
The relationship between Bengal and China is a very old and historical one. Chinese monks, scholars, and traders began visiting Bengal frequently from the period of the Qin dynasty. Famous ancient Chinese travellers to Bengal included Faxian, Yijing, and Xuanzang. During the Pala Dynasty of Bengal, Atish Dipankar of Bikrampur, 20 km off Dhaka, travelled to China and played an important role in developing Buddhism there.
The Prophet of Islam is reported to have advised people to go to China, which was a far distant country from Arabia, to gain knowledge and learning. In 648 AD, a companion and uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, who is credited to have introduced Islam in China, followed a route via the Brahmaputra river. Evidence remains in Lalmonirhat of a masjid built by Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and is known locally as Abi Waqqas Masjid.
Guangzhou Abi Waqqas Mosque (Xianxian Mosque) holds the tomb of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas. The complex has a total area of 25,000 square meters and is the largest mosque in Guangdong Province. More than a thousand years old, it dates back to the Tang Dynasty.
Abi Waqqas Mosque Guangzhou
China under the Ming dynasty and the Bengal Sultanate exchanged many emissaries during the 15th century. A south-western Silk Route connected Bengal and China. The Chinese Muslim admiral Zheng visited the Bengal Sultanate several times.
Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai visited East Pakistan several times in the 1950s and 1960s. The Chinese Communist Party maintained close ties with Maulana Bhashani and Kazi Zafar Ahmed. Moulana Bhashani in particular was very close to Mao Zedong as it is evident from the fact that Moulana Bhashani stood next to Chairman Mao on the podium celebrating China’s national day.
Post-independence Bangladesh-China relations
Bhashani was obviously very upset at China’s decision to side with Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. The Maulana wrote personal letters to Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou En-Lai, describing in vivid detail the ruthless atrocities of the Pakistan army on the innocent unarmed people of Bangladesh. Bhashani appealed to the Chinese leaders for lending whole-hearted support to the liberation struggle of Bangladesh. He hoped to see a change in China’s policy in favour of the freedom fighters of Bangladesh sooner than later. This did not happen, and even after Bangladesh emerged as an independent sovereign state in December 1971, China did not recognise Bangladesh. Needless to say, the Maulana was deeply disappointed.
Eventually, China recognised Bangladesh on 31 August 1975, just about a year before Moulana’s death. Nevertheless, since the historic recognition, the relations between the two countries quickly flourished duly facilitated by Moulana’s follower, Kazi Zafar Ahmad. We are the proud torch-bearers of both Moulana Bhashani and Kazi Zafar Ahmed, and remain China’s trusted friends forever.
I was a Cabinet Minister in 1987 when President Hussain Muhammad Ershad was warmly received in China. This was a visit at the request of the left-leaning ministers of his cabinet and which was facilitated by Kazi Zafar Ahmad, the then Deputy Prime Minister. In fact, he played a most pioneering role in the matter.
The relationship between the two countries is flourishing every day. China is now the largest investor in Bangladesh and the most trusted strategic partner in our quest for socio-economic progress as well as in safe-guarding our national interest and sovereignty. Defence cooperation is one of the significant pillars of the relationship between Bangladesh and China.
In 2016, during President Xi Jinping’s Dhaka visit, the two countries signed a Belt and Road agreement. The total proposed Chinese investment is US$38 billion— roughly 10% of our GDP— the largest sum ever pledged to Bangladesh by any single country. Bangladesh was the first South Asian country to give green light signal to the BRI in 2016.
As a part of a strengthened bilateral trade and investment relationship, China invested around US$ 1.2 billion in 2019 alone and has given Duty-Free (DF) access to 97% of Bangladeshi products which came into force from 1 July 2020. Utilizing this Duty-Free (DF) facility, Bangladesh can now seize a greater market share as this DF Facility covers 132 knitwear items and 117 woven items produced in Bangladesh.
China is helping Bangladesh to develop its key infrastructures – roads, bridges, under river tunnels, rail-lines, sea-ports, clean energy, etc. China has already invested more than US$10 billion in Bangladesh toward a string of power and infrastructure projects under the BRI.
The long-desired Teesta water management project is now about to see the light of reality as China is coming forward to support it. This will enable us to store water for use in the lean season and avoid flooding during the monsoon.
Although some Westerners accuse China of pushing Bangladesh into a “debt trap”, it is, in fact, a “win-win” relationship between the two countries.
China stood by Bangladesh during the recent COVID-19 pandemic with vaccines, drugs, medical expertise, and equipment. Since March 2021, Bangladesh has received 9 million Sinopharm doses from China, with an additional 1.1 million doses as a gift. On 17 August, this year Bangladesh signed a deal to locally produce 5 million Sinopharm jabs each month.
The relationship between Bangladesh and China is based on the principles of friendship, equality, and mutual benefit. The guiding principle of our foreign policy is, “Friendship with all and malice to none.” Both nations have pledged to cooperate more closely, ensuring long-term friendship, equality, and mutual benefit to sustain their “time tested all-weather friendship”.
Sino-Bangladesh relations are not only a matter of close, comprehensive cooperation but a dynamic process that has been metamorphosed from an economic partnership into a strategic partnership.
Challenges
However, the relationship is not without challenges. The recent geopolitical developments are creating pressure and are a potential source of instability. But Bangladesh should follow Moulana Bhashani’s ideal of non-alignment against military or defence pacts. Quite recently, Bangladesh has reportedly been approached to join the QUAD but the country by diplomatic manoeuvrability stalled it till now.
Here I would like to recall that Moulana Bhashani did not hesitate to oppose the decision of the Awami League Government led by Hussein Shahid Suhrawardy in 1957 when it decided to join the US-led SEATO-CENTO defence alliance. He even left the Awami League, the party he founded, and was its President. Moulana Bhashani worked closely with Prime Minister Zhou Enlai to organize the Bandung Conference that laid the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
Competition between China and India will pose a serious dilemma for Bangladesh. China remains an undeniable economic factor for Bangladesh. At the same time, geography demands that Dhaka maintain stable relations with New Delhi.
A foresighted strategy based on national unity, pragmatic realism, and its own vision of the future can maximize Bangladesh’s freedom of action on the international stage, but miscalculation and polarization may imperil the country’s hard-earned achievements.
Rohingya issue is also causing stress on Bangladesh. China is helping Bangladesh with relief and rehabilitation, but a permanent solution is urgently needed. The lingering of this issue can encourage extremism. Certain global players may be pursuing a dubious role to aggravate the crisis. For example, the deplorable recent statement by a US lawmaker suggesting that Rakhine should be part of Bangladesh. But we firmly defer to this idea.
Since 2017, China has been serving as an official mediator between Myanmar and Bangladesh. After Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited both nations in November 2017, China-backed a three-point strategy for an end to the strife in Rakhine and a settlement of the repatriation process.
China must become the region’s new peacemaker by taking decisive steps in resolving the Rohingya situation.
This paper was presented in the Webinar series for the commemoration of the 58th Anniversary of Moulana Bhashani’s historic China visit, organised by the Moulana Bhashani Parishad, Australia.