But as soon as the political scenario of Bangladesh changed in 1975, the new government adopted a more proactive and independent foreign policy and felt the need to discontinue the clauses of '25 year friendship treaty' that were detrimental to national security. So, the defense budget saw a sharp increase and a new source of military hardware was found in the shape of China. The Chinese government was able to supply military hardware that were soundingly reasonable and whose technological sophistication was suitable for a newly independent nation, with a destroyed economy from following India's socialist economy. In the meantime, Soviet Union closed its door to Bangladesh. So, with its fragile economy, Bangladesh became totally dependent on China for reliable weapons.
The new government upgraded 5 existing brigades to full divisions with Chinese weapons and training. New workshops were built across the country for the repair and maintenance of the weapons. High level military delegations, along with political leaders, made frequent visits to each others' countries to consolidate the new and promising relations between the two Asian nations.
Since then, China has been Bangladesh's closest defense ally and the military coopertation between the two nations has reached the tactical level and there is much scope to elevate it to the strategic level for the benefit of both the nations. The Chinese political and military leaders being well aware ofBangladesh's unique central geographic location and sea ports have given her strategic importance in South and South East Asian context, fully supported it. Bangladesh and China have signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2002 and 2004 to broaden the scope of military relations between the two allies.