Bangladesh is helping to create a geopolitical shift in South Asia

Monday 16 Jun 2025 @ 12:20
Chatham House

EXPERT COMMENT

Under Muhammad Yunus, Dhaka is turning towards Beijing and other new partners, helping to redraw regional alliances.

During his visit to Chatham House this week, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, said that Bangladesh is ‘reaching out to everybody’ in its foreign policy.

Yet the indications are that a decisive foreign policy shift is taking place under his leadership, one that signals a break from the India-centric orientation of his predecessor, Sheikh Hasina – who was overthrown in July 2024’s revolution.

Yunus is seeking to reduce reliance on Indian trade in favour of a new strategic alignment with Beijing, and other regional partners like Pakistan and Turkey. This is not merely diplomacy; it is part of an effort to redraw Bangladesh’s regional alliances – a move that may lead to a broader geopolitical shift in South Asia.

But the long-term future for Yunus’s strategy will be tested over the coming year – by the reaction of New Delhi, and by elections now scheduled for April 2026.

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Original article link: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/06/bangladesh-helping-create-geopolitical-shift-south-asia

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