India pushes back as Bangladesh plays China Card on Northeast

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday subtly pushed back against remarks by Bangladesh’s Interim Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who during a visit to China last week described India’s Northeast as a “landlocked region” dependent on Dhaka for access to the sea.

“Seven states of India, called seven sisters, they are landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the oceans… we are the only guardian of the ocean of this region. So, this opens up a huge possibility… this could be an extension of the Chinese economy,” Yunus said during his four-day trip to China, pitching Bangladesh’s strategic location as a bridge to Beijing’s economic ambitions.

While there has been no official bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yunus, the two were seated next to each other during the BIMSTEC leaders’ dinner in Bangkok on Thursday night, signaling careful diplomatic handling of the issue.

Addressing the 20th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting, Jaishankar’s remarks, though not naming Bangladesh directly, reflected a clear discomfort with the framing of Northeast India as isolated. He highlighted India’s efforts to turn the region into a “connectivity hub” with a growing network of roads, railways, waterways, grids and pipelines.

“Our Northeast region in particular is emerging as a connectivity hub for the BIMSTEC, with a myriad network… The completion of the Trilateral Highway will connect India’s Northeast all the way to the Pacific Ocean — a veritable game-changer,” Jaishankar said.

Taking a pointed tone, he added, “We also believe that cooperation is an integrated outlook, not one subject to cherry-picking,” suggesting that selective narratives about the region’s access or dependence were unhelpful.

Jaishankar emphasized that India, with a 6,500-km coastline along the Bay of Bengal and land borders with five BIMSTEC members, plays a central role in regional connectivity, not merely relying on others for access.

Yunus’ remarks come at a time when Bangladesh’s balancing act between India and China is under fresh scrutiny, especially as Beijing’s influence grows across South Asia. His explicit reference to Bangladesh being the “guardian” of Northeast India’s ocean access, coupled with calls to expand Chinese economic ties, is seen by observers as a subtle message to New Delhi about shifting dynamics in the region.

MT