Khaleda Backs India-China Consortium for Deep Port

[eastwatch]

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 eep-sea Port at Sonadia
Khaleda backs India-China consortium
Says Bangladesh-India connectivity inevitable, BNP not to look back on ties with India
Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi

In a shift in her party's stand, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday warmed up to connectivity with India and New Delhi's participation in a consortium with China to build a deep-sea port at Sonadia in Mongla.

During a 45-minute meeting with India's new Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid at the Hyderabad House here yesterday afternoon, Khaleda told him that connectivity between Bangladesh and India was "inevitable" and the same must be expanded to include China and South East Asia.

In the past, the BNP had opposed granting transit facility to India to connect with its landlocked northeastern states with the mainland.

After Khaleda's meeting with Khurshid and earlier with Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon who called on her at her hotel in New Delhi, BNP Vice-chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury told the media that Menon raised the issue of Bangladesh's proposal for a deep-sea port at Sonadia and expressed India's interest in the project.

Khaleda welcomed the idea for a consortium including India, China and other countries undertaking the Sonadia deep-sea port because of the huge amount of investment needed for it and said it would benefit Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand.

Mobin said Khaleda had taken up the deep-sea port issue with top Chinese leaders when she visited that country in the third week of October and Beijing was receptive to India's participation in the consortium.

India has already expressed keenness to join the proposed Sonadia deep-sea port project and sought details and data about it, Mobin added.

Mobin said the Indian foreign minister assured Khaleda that he would take a personal initiative to talk to all stakeholders, including West Bengal, and resolve the Teesta water-sharing issue, a deal on which could not be signed September last year due to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's last-minute opposition.

Khaleda said clinching an agreement on Teesta would be the "first step" before moving towards sharing of the water of other common rivers.

Responding to Khaleda's concerns over border killings, the Indian foreign minister emphasised such incidents had to to be stopped and India would take all the steps to that end.

Khaleda referred to poverty in Bangladesh and said the two countries should work together to overcome the problem in order to stop illegal cross-border migration.

Asked if the BNP has made a tacit admission by assuring India that the party would not allow Bangladesh territory to be used by terrorists to target India, Khaleda's Press Secretary Sohel Maruf Kamal said, "Let us not look back at the era of proven and unproved allegations and counter-allegations and instead look ahead."

In the past, BNP had been in a denial mode about the problem of cross-border illegal migration and presence of militants in Bangladesh.

During her meetings with the Indian leaders, Khaleda signalled her intention to break from BNP's anti-India stance in the past.

Mobin and another senior BNP leader Tariqul Islam said Khaleda gave a clear message to the Indian leaders that the BNP "does not want to look back but want to look ahead and build a new era in relations between the two countries."

At a separate media briefing, the spokesperson of Indian external affairs ministry said Khaleda's message during her interaction with the Indian leaders was that "this marks a new beginning and let's not look back in the rear view mirror."

Mobin said all bilateral issues, including trade, terrorism, border killings and water-sharing, were discussed by Khaleda and Khurshid after which the Indian foreign minister hosted a lunch for the BNP chief.

Maruf Kamal said the main purpose of the visit was to dispel mistrust and suspicion and restore the trust between the BNP and India and claimed "we have been able to achieve the objective" by this visit.

He added resolving the problem of border killing would help lay the foundation for settling other issues between the two countries.

Tariqul Islam said, "We wanted to remove suspicion and bring a new dawn in relations with India."

Asked by a Bangladeshi journalist if he wanted to see ties to develop just between the BNP and India, Tariqul said, "No, we want relations to strengthen between the two countries, between the peoples of the two countries and between their parties irrespective of ideologies."

According to Mobin, Salman Khurshid told Khaleda that "we share your belief in a new dawn in India-Bangladesh relations".

Khaleda told Khurshid that there was no reason why India and Bangladesh would not have shared prosperity and said Indian entrepreneurs could consider investing in her country.

The Indian National Security Adviser conveyed to Khaleda that New Delhi would like the current momentum in bilateral ties to be maintained.

Mobin claimed BNP's engagement with India has "begun with a bang" and each event taking place during Khaleda's current visit "is a movement forward".

According to Mobin, Khurshid said he would visit Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries in the coming months.

Mobin added no date had yet been fixed for Khaleda's meeting with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and that the Indian foreign ministry had "assured us" of its efforts to arrange a meeting between the BNP chief and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Khaleda is leaving for Jaipur today on her way to Ajmer Sharif and will return to Delhi on Thursday night. A dinner will be hosted in her honour by Rajasthan Industry Minister on Wednesday night in Jaipur. She is scheduled to return to Dhaka on November 3.

 

[eastwatch]

I do not understand why an Indian participation in the construction will be neessary in Sonadia deep sea-port. China has money, experience and technology, and India lacks all of these. However, BD needs connectivity with all the nearby countries to make a profitable operation of the proposed port. These countries are Burma, Laos, China, Indian NE, Bhutan, Nepal and a few shallow ports in Indian east coast, perhaps, also Calcutta.

The present port in Chittagong is essentially a river port. It is not navigable 24 hours a day. It is navigable when the spring sea tide surges up the level of water at the mouth of Karnafuli. As Ctg. is not a deep port, therefore, large sea-going ships with goods to and from BD anchor either at Colombo or Singapore. Smaller ships carry the goods to and from these two ports.

So, a deep sea port at Sonadia will enable large ships with goods intended for the countries listed above will come to Sonadia. Unless BD gets market for the transhipment or transit service this port will not be economically viable. Since India is controlling access to its own NE as well as Bhutan and Nepal, therefore, it is necessary to lure Indian interest with the port construction.

To me, it is both a kind of selling out and also a step forward to accept the reality of both the geographical constraints of the country. I must say, BKZ has finally shaked away her reservations about India and by accepting it in Sonadia she has tacitly accpted an Indian TRANSIT via Bangladesh, albeit, with a Sonadia detour.

I have said many times that BNP is a progressive party. But the way AL deals with India is not acceptable to the people of the country. So, even AL needs an opposition like BNP to control its own India-favouring policies. But, this time without a BNP nod it would have been difficult for AL to take a decision on Sonadia construction. I hope, the GoB will soon start working on this very important deep Sonadia sea-port.

 

[INDIC]

China won't fund the Sonadia project fully seeing the cost of 9 billion, it won't benefit China.

 

[LOVETOALL]

If it has profit, China will fund it. And nothing wrong with that. Khaleda understand that fighting with every neighbour will not work. Good diplomacy.

 

[idune]

I have not not seen any indication from China that it has any wish or consideration to work under a consortium where india or any other third country is involved. At this point all these are talk but if KZ is going down that road, any involvement of india will kill the project even if she comes to power. Because logistical tangle with indian involvement in making such consortium alone will drag the project way longer than she can stay in power or completes her tenure.

On top of that India does not have funding capability in such large scale project, not unless india diverts fund from domestic needs. And even it does, we have all seen how indian terms for fund and how horrendous indian bureaucracy is.

Also, India does not have technical capability or experience in building such port.

So in reality what we can see happening is that deep sea port is a far fetch dream even if BNP takes the helm.

Here are some reasons india should be kept away from Chittagong and Deep sea port either as part of building consortium or for any transit and export/import goods for NE.
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1) Indian involvement in building/funding consortium will have conflict of interest, will drag projects for long long time, will be less viable and perhaps will push the deep sea project to death.

2) Deep sea port helps cutting export and shipping cost greatly. Currently no mother vessel anchor in CTG port due to draft issue. Exporters and importers have to use feeder vessel to ship cargo to Singapore, Dubai or Colombo to load on to mother vessel bound to US and EU. That add significant cost and lead time and cut our export competitiveness. With deep sea port mother vessel could be directly loaded, cost of shipping will decrease and our export competitiveness will increase.

3) Bangladesh itself has great need for deep sea port as Bangladesh economy is growing. In line with middle income goal much of the deep sea port capacity will be absorbed by our export and import gradually. And including part of Chinese, Myanmar, Cambodian BUT excluding indian cargo can very well make up throughput needs.

4) Not all installation should be considered just for money making venture. There is strategic and Bangladesh own business need for it.

5) Having deep sea port facility for Bangladesh increasing trade needs, cost savings and competitiveness benefit will pay off over time WITHOUT single cargo from india.

6) NE import and transit needs are not that much in volume and hardly will make any business sense compared with risk.

7) Dealing with indian cargo is security and strategic risk.

8) Indian cargo could be hazardous.

9) Indian cargo movement close to multiple key installation points (KPI) will compromise defense and military installations and vantage points.

10) Deep sea port and cargo handling will be infiltration point for indian interference in Bangladesh. That means Bangladesh will need to spend additional money and resource to safeguard from indian nefarious activities.

11) India will use any interruption in indian cargo handling as an excuse for interference and propaganda.

 

[idune]

I was looking for coverage of this specific news on other newspaper including in indian one, but there is no other newspaper reported this news other than Pallab Bhattacharya from New Delhi for Daily star. As Daily Star group has tarnished its credibility by publishing propaganda lie before, it would be wise to seek other authentic news source for the validity of this news.

 

[somebozo]

Khaleda is finally comes to her sense as India is her only neighbor and a life line, cutting herself off from a major economy will not be helpful.

 

[idune]

Khaleda is finally comes to her sense as India is her only neighbor and a life line, cutting herself off from a major economy will not be helpful.

Looks like you know very little other than typical indian rhetoric. India is not the only neighbor of Bangladesh and india had never been any contributor in Bangladeshi export or economy other than import source for food and textile raw materials. So there was no question of cutting off from indian economy when india was never part of it and most likely will not be. Perhaps following should give you some glimpse why

http://www.defence.pk/forums/bangla...tes-confidence-crisis-among-bd-exporters.html

 

[Tridibans]

@ Idune
As much as I think there is no use arguing with your brainwashed views, I can't help but comment on a few of your excellent analysis

Also, India does not have technical capability or experience in building such port.

You bet. Kistnapatam and JNPT are just picnic grounds. We have a 800 billion $ trade with the rest of the world with picnic spots disguised as ports.

So in reality what we can see happening is that deep sea port is a far fetch dream even if BNP takes the helm.

I don't know the future but if someone like you (so much educated and talented) is incharge in BD, your statement may well turn out to be true.

Indian involvement in building/funding consortium will have conflict of interest, will drag projects for long long time, will be less viable and perhaps will push the deep sea project to death.

Not really. If approved, India will try its best to complete it on time and within budget. Don't think Indian red tape will play a part in BD. Also, mostly the work will be overseen by the Banks through which funding is provided. So less chances of corruption (atleast from our side that is)

Not all installation should be considered just for money making venture. There is strategic and Bangladesh own business need for it.

I agree it will be strategic but believe me BDs strategy involves a friendly India. If not, then there will not be any BD. and don't say crap that China will come and all that. They never came for Pak, you think they will come for you guys?

Having deep sea port facility for Bangladesh increasing trade needs, cost savings and competitiveness benefit will pay off over time WITHOUT single cargo from india.

Nice one. Then why trade with us at all? Look at your national statistics and the trade figures with India. compare that to our trade with countries smaller than BD. (Hint: look for UAE )

7) Dealing with indian cargo is security and strategic risk.

Again coming from a BD citizen. Security risk you say ? And what strategy are you talking about ? We already have enough operatives inside your main establishments.

9) Indian cargo movement close to multiple key installation points (KPI) will compromise defense and military installations and vantage points.

Most funny comment. Most of your installations are just a pole-vault away from India

 

[LOVETOALL]

Looks like you know very little other than typical indian rhetoric. India is not the only neighbor of Bangladesh and india had never been any contributor in Bangladeshi export or economy other than import source for food and textile raw materials. So there was no question of cutting off from indian economy when india was never part of it and most likely will not be. Perhaps following should give you some glimpse why

http://www.defence.pk/forums/bangla...tes-confidence-crisis-among-bd-exporters.html

I far as I know BD has 3 only neighbours- India, Myanmar and Water....If you have other kindly advise...

You will be only person who will say that india had never been any contributor in Bangladeshi export.
Regarding topic- good work by Khalida zia.

 

[Jade]

Another Indian dalal in making.

Jokes apart, this move by Khaleda will ensure India will be comfortable dealing with Khaleda, if she were to become the PM.

 

[INDIC]

I was looking for coverage of this specific news on other newspaper including in indian one, but there is no other newspaper reported this news other than Pallab Bhattacharya from New Delhi for Daily star. As Daily Star group has tarnished its credibility by publishing propaganda lie before, it would be wise to seek other authentic news source for the validity of this news.

According to Bangladeshis here 95% percent Bangladeshis don't follow Jamat, so your views are of no use to anyone.

 

[deepak.chauhan2312]

Looks like you know very little other than typical indian rhetoric. India is not the only neighbor of Bangladesh and india had never been any contributor in Bangladeshi export or economy other than import source for food and textile raw materials. So there was no question of cutting off from indian economy when india was never part of it and most likely will not be. Perhaps following should give you some glimpse why

Bangladeshi economy will suffer without indian economy...at least study business relation b/w India and Bangladesh talking BS....

 

[eastwatch]

Another Indian dalal in making.

Jokes apart, this move by Khaleda will ensure India will be comfortable dealing with Khaleda, if she were to become the PM.

A positive gesture by BKZ effects the BD govt policies even before BNP is in power. When both the ruling and opposition parties have similar thinking on issues, it becomes easier for the ruling party to initiate actions. Sonadia deep port, transit, transhipment, water sharing, future barrages, border demarcation are such issues that are still pending without being resolved only because the two groups talk differently.

Let us hope for the best. But, BD people will certainly oppose a transit through BD land. However, they may support a transhipment in and transit from Sonadia. It is a wise decision for BNP to try to commit India in this project because without Indian involvement BD cannot bring Nepal and Bhutan to use this port. If there is an Indian commitment it means a sea and road transport market for BD in these two countries and in Indian NE and also Calcutta.

@Idune, a sea port is very large and it compasses a very large area. It is not that all the sections of a proposed port is directly linked. THere will be many ZIGZAGS in the port, and it will take 20 to 50 yrs to build up such a large port. However, it will start from all kinds of site surveys including aerial ones after which a tentative Master Plan will be prepared. Then will come the civil design drawings. followed by construction drawings. In between there are many other steps because it will be a giant project.

What I want to say is only one country unilaterally cannot do the project unless it is a engineering/construction giant like USA or Japan. Even USA has asked BD to allow its companies to get some construction jobs in the port. So, if an Indian company has the capability to do a part of job I do not feel threatened by that participation.

However, the sad point will be if a BD construction company cannot pass through the pre-qualification stage. BD companies just do not have this kind of work experience. GoB should build a few smaller ports with the help of existing civil engineering companies in order to qualify them for bidding in Sonadia.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

If the statement of KZ is true in that she approves of an joint India-China deep-sea port project then it would appear that she has received signals from both Beijing and New Delhi for this suggestion. In other words the objective is to keep the Americans out. This would also fit into her personal agenda of seeing a return of Tareque into BD politics which the US opposes. It would seem a new alliance is forming between India and China to keep the US at a distance.