Bangladesh PM Hasina begins India trip

Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s PM will begin a visit to India today.

This visit comes one month before Indian Prime Minister Narendra  Modi’s planned visit to Dhaka, in an effort to strengthen ties between India and its neighbors in South Asia. It also comes just after both leaders ewon their respective elections this year. During their meetings, Modi and Hasina are expected to discuss a range of issues, including climate change, trade, and military cooperation.

Bangladesh has grown in geopolitical significance in the Indo-Pacific region. Bangladesh is a critical ally in India’s recent ‘Act East’ initiative, an effort to improve relations with neighboring nations and counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific. New Delhi views Dhaka as an especially important partner in a region where some countries like the Maldives harbor tense relations with India. India is also an important ally to Hasina’s Awami League which has been accused of undermining democratic processes by the United States. Expect Hasina and Modi to continue to grow the mutually beneficial relationship between their two countries as India seeks to maintain a reliable ally in the Indo-Pacific and as Dhaka leverages New Delhi’s ties with Washington to soften U.S. pressures on Bangladesh’s ruling party.