A 22-member Bangladeshi group of political leaders, civil community activists, scientists and reporters have begun a 10-day visit to China.
A group leader confirmed with the BBC that they will be speaking with Chinese federal officials and top Communist Party members.
Experts claim that China is making offers despite Bangladesh and India’s growing political tensions on a number of issues.
Sheikh Hasina, the exiled head of Bangladesh, is one of those who is affected. Delhi has declined to send her abduction, despite the fact that she has requested it.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a senior official from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP ) who’s leading the delegation in Beijing, told the BBC:” It’s basically a goodwill visit, initiated by Beijing”.
” It is unique because China has invited a group from Bangladesh this time,” he said.
Many of the group members are members of the BNP and its friends. The BNP, headed by former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, is one of the major events in Bangladesh, besides the Awami League led by Hasina.
Additionally, there are several members of the student movement, which started the rebellion against Hasina and ended with the prime minister’s ouster in August of last year.
An interim government, led by the Nobel prize Muhammad Yunus is currently in charge.
It has been urging India to repatriate Hasina to face charges of crimes against humanity and money laundering, among other allegations. The UN says Hasina’s government’s crackdown on protesters during the uprising killed about 1,400 people.
But much India has showed no sign of extraditing Hasina, who denies the charges.
During the 15-year concept of Ms. Hasina, who was widely regarded by her detractors as pro-India, Delhi and Dhaka had maintained close relationships. She maintains close ties to Delhi while balancing her marriage with Beijing.
After the fall of Hasina, Beijing has stepped up its connection with Bangladeshi officials, activists and ambassadors, including from Islamist events.
The Bangladesh time administration’s foreign policy consultant Touhid Hossain and Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, met in Beijing in January for a meeting, and this week’s visit comes after that meeting.
Additionally, it is the second time in recent months BNP authorities have visited China, after Beijing hosted a BNP committee late last month.
With the social pump and lack of India’s control, experts say, Beijing is trying to increase its grip in Bangladesh, a region of about 170 million individuals.
With bilateral trade totaling about$ 24 billion ( £19 billion ), the majority of that is made up of Chinese exports to the South Asian nation.
More than 70 % of China’s military materials come from China, which is a significant source of items for the Bangladeshi army.
In the last six months, India has had very scant contact with the time authorities and other Bangladeshi social leaders in contrast to Beijing’s offers.
The BNP held a rally in December alleging India’s meddling in Bangladesh’s domestic matters by hosting Hasina. On the same subject, some interim government officials have likewise criticized Delhi.
Delhi has reacted furiously to this censure.
The Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said last week that it was up to Bangladesh to decide on “what kind of relationship they want with us”.
He called the condemnation of India by Bangladeshi leaders and politicians “absolutely ridiculous.”
Some claim that Bangladesh’s anxious rhetoric could lead to a Chinese-led government.
In light of recent events, Bangladesh has joined other South Asian nations like Sri Lanka, the Island, and Nepal as targets for both Delhi and Beijing as the powers compete for control.
” I don’t think India should regard the whole continent is under Delhi’s sphere of influence. That approach would produce India experience”, Chinese scientist Zhou Bo, a senior colleague at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, told the BBC.