Conclusion

Bangladesh will need support from both India and China, as it has always received support from its Western friends and development partners, to ensure sustainable development, capacity building, and growth of a skilled society. It will need significant cost-effective support to revive its health sector, which is plagued by inefficiency, assistance for metropolitan governance and planning, and infrastructure development. Bangladesh should be aware that both China and India will be seeking to exploit their investments. To avoid becoming trapped in an international rivalry over the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh should exploit its strategic position carefully. One way of geƫng the most out of the Sino-Indian rivalry is to make sure that it does not display a preference for either party. Maintaining good working relations with both India and China is crucial for an economically weak Bangladesh. Bangladesh also should maintain very good relations with Europe and America.Bangladesh therefore needs a ‘balanced’ foreign policy – not leaning too far into the sway of India (politically) or China (economically). Bangladesh, again, should not be a mere spectator in this region. Because of its strategic location Bangladesh can be a regional player, albeit a small one. The country should keep in its mind that the projection that Bangladesh will become one of the top 30 economies by 2030 has attracted significant international attention. The future world, aŌer all, will be a truly multipolar one where even the smaller powers will have important agency.