Port wars: India’s Bangladesh deal seen as bid to curb China’s maritime ambition

The deal is seen as part of New Delhi’s efforts to catch up with Beijing in a global maritime race to gain quasi-control of foreign ports.

Mongla port, Bangladesh’s second largest seaport after Chittagong, is India’s third successful bid to run overseas ports in recent years, after Chabbar in Iran and Sittwe in Myanmar. The details of the Mongla port deal are yet to be made public.

According to media reports, quoting a senior Indian official from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the terminal will be operated by Indian Port Global Limited (IPGL).

Former Indian naval officer Commodore C Uday Bhaskar told This Week in Asia: “Mongla is a potentially major opportunity for India to establish its credibility as an equitable port partner for Indian Ocean littorals seeking such expertise.”

Bhaskar, a director of the Delhi-based think tank Society for Policy Studies, pointed out that India did not figure in the world’s top 10 ports based on container traffic, whereas China had six on the list.

“Globally India is a relatively lightweight nation when it comes to ports, and it is only in the last few years that this sector has received attention and investment,” the honorary fellow of India’s National Maritime Foundation said. Quasi-control of key ports globally could enhance a country’s capacity to project its maritime power as evident in China’s investments in more than 100 ports in 63 countries, Bhaskar added.

“The progress [by Indian companies] in Iran and Myanmar has been uneven due to other geopolitical factors, and hopefully Mongla will allow for speedy execution of the agreement.”

The Indian Ocean region is pivotal in China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative. Beijing is making substantial investments in ports ranging from