Significant progress appears to have been made on the Chinese-built submarine support facility in Bangladesh, and Beijing's navy will soon have access to the logistical complex for future naval operations in the region, according to reports.
Moreover, two years ago, in what the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has called China's 'submarine diplomacy', Beijing provided Dhaka with two submarines at discounted prices. They have been kept at a base before construction began.
Reports suggest that gaining a foothold in the Bay of Bengal significantly enhances the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) ability to operate farther from China's shores.
China-Bangladesh Naval Diplomacy
Bangladesh ordered its first two submarines from China in 2013 at a low cost of $203 million, as part of its military modernisation program in line with its Forces Goal 2030. The attack submarines, originally commissioned by the Chinese Navy in 1990, are Type 035G Ming Class diesel-electric vessels.
The two submarines were upgraded and retrofitted by China before being transferred to Bangladesh in 2016, although their current capabilities still lag far behind the most sophisticated attack submarines currently in service with leading navies.
It is interesting to note that only a year after the transfer of the vessels, the giant Chinese state-owned defence company Poly Technologies secured a $1.2 billion contract with Bangladesh to build a new submarine support facility on the country's south-eastern coast.
Although the two Bangladesh Navy submarines do not pose a significant threat to India, the base will require maintenance and operational support from Chinese personnel. Given its proximity to the Eastern Naval Command, the construction site for indigenous nuclear submarines, this is a cause for concern for India.