China is a South Asian country, sharing borders with 14 countries including India. Governed by the Communist Party of China (CPC) since 1949, it has rapidly transformed into a global manufacturing hub and technological leader. Its significance lies in its economic rise in the region and hegemonic influence over smaller countries through loans and the Belt and Road Initiative.
As the epicenter of COVID-19, China faced global scrutiny over its pandemic response. Its strict zero-COVID policy and economic slowdowns have affected global markets, while trade disputes and technological restrictions with the US, EU, and India continue to shape its global relations.
China’s foreign policy is marked by its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), expanding influence through infrastructure projects, and territorial disputes, particularly in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and along the India-China border. It fought a war with India in 1962 over Aksai Chin, and tensions persist along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), most recent being the Galwan Valley clash in 2020.
Both sides should reach out to each other, in a spirit of good neighbourliness and sovereign equality. That applies equally to Bangladesh. India should have more friends in South Asia than it presently does.