New Delhi, July 16 -- When Bangladesh and China announced cooperation on Mongla Port during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's June 2026 visit to Beijing, the arrangement initially appeared to be another infrastructure deal. For India, however, Mongla has become part of a broader strategic picture in the Bay of Bengal, where Chinese-supported ports, economic zones, river projects, connectivity plans, and defense exchanges are increasingly converging.

New Delhi's concern is not that China will turn Mongla into a naval base tomorrow. The anxiety is cumulative. The June 26 China-Bangladesh joint communique covered not only the modernization of Mongla Port, but also the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Chattogram, direct connectivity, co...