Key facts
- China plans corridor through Bangladesh and Myanmar
- Follows existing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
- Both countries share significant borders with India
- Raises Indian concerns about strategic encirclement
China is planning a new economic corridor that would run through Bangladesh and Myanmar, according to a report by NDTV, marking a significant expansion of Beijing's Belt and Road ambitions in the immediate neighbourhood of India. The development comes after China's well-established China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) already hugs India's western and northern frontiers.
The proposed corridor would give China access to land routes and potentially ports connecting the Indian Ocean region, passing through two countries that share long borders with India. Both Bangladesh and Myanmar are strategically sensitive for New Delhi — Bangladesh is a close partner with deep economic ties, while Myanmar's ongoing instability has already raised concerns about border security.
For India, the pattern is becoming harder to ignore. Beijing has systematically invested in connectivity projects that link it to the Indian Ocean while running along or through India's neighbours — Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and now Myanmar are all part of this web. Indian strategic thinkers have long warned of a 'string of pearls' strategy designed to constrain India's regional influence.
New Delhi has consistently objected to CPEC on the grounds that it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a territory India claims as its own. The latest corridor plans are likely to intensify those concerns and prompt India to deepen its own connectivity diplomacy with both Dhaka and Naypyidaw as a counterweight to growing Chinese presence on its flanks.