China-backed revival of Teesta River, shared by Bangladesh and India, moves forward amid geopolitical concerns
- China’s ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming says he hopes work on the river restoration can begin ‘within a very short time frame’
- Environmental concerns, questions over who benefits from the investment and potential objections from India hang over the project
Chinese engineers could soon begin work on a US$1 billion project to revive Bangladesh’s Teesta River after progress on the megaproject stalled, casting doubt on an initiative that Dhaka regards as crucial to meeting food security goals.
China’s ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming visited the river last month, saying engineers from the Power Construction Corporation of China (Power China) were carrying out an inspection of the work area.
“I hope that we’ll be able to start the Teesta megaproject within a very short time frame,” he told reporters.
The comments were the first major development since July 2020, when Bangladesh announced it had applied for a US$983 million loan from China. Though the exact amount has yet to be finalised, Bangladesh could bear between 15 and 30 per cent of total costs.
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Ambassador Li’s statement is being viewed within Bangladesh as a sign the project is making progress – albeit slowly.
