Guwahati, June 27 -- By NE NOW NEWS

Guwahati: Bangladesh has formally handed over the development of a strategic economic zone near Mongla Port to a Chinese state-owned company, marking a significant shift in the country's infrastructure partnerships and adding a new dimension to China's expanding presence in the Bay of Bengal.

The agreement was signed during Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's recent official visit to China, where the two countries elevated bilateral ties and concluded multiple agreements covering infrastructure, trade and industrial cooperation.

The project involves the development of an economic zone on land that had originally been reserved for an Indian-backed industrial project under an agreement signed b...