For decades, India’s geographic proximity, cultural affinity and economic interdependence gave it a natural strategic advantage in Bangladesh. That assumption is now being tested. Dhaka’s renewed engagement with China, even as it cautiously repairs relations with New Delhi, reflects a foreign policy driven less by ideological alignment than by hard-headed national interest. It also underscores a larger geopolitical reality: South Asian states are increasingly unwilling to choose sides when competing powers are seen to be jockeying for their favour.

The significance of Bangladesh’s outreach to Beijing lies not simply in fresh investment commitments or infrastructure projects, but in the message that economic opportunity will determine partnerships. Chinese financing for industrial development, interest in the Teesta River project and proposals to expand regional connectivity demonstrate Beijing’s readiness to move swiftly where others hesitate. For Bangladesh, which is seeking faster economic growth and infrastructure expansion, such offers are difficult to ignore. India, meanwhile, has recognised that estrangement carries strategic costs.

The resumption of cross-border transport links, emergency fuel assistance during a period of global energy disruption, restoration of tourist visas and........

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