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'Bangladesh will be able to balance between superpowers'

UNB . Dhaka
19 Jan 2024 19:23:45 | Update: 19 Jan 2024 21:55:25
'Bangladesh will be able to balance between superpowers'
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks as she is sworn in for a fifth term at the Presidential Palace in Dhaka on January 11, 2024 — AFP Photo

Michael Kugelman, the South Asia director at the Wilson Center in Washington DC, has said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been especially adept at balancing relations with developed and developing countries, including India and China, West and non-West, and so on.

"This is a country that, much like India, has shown a strong capacity to balance rivalries instead of succumbing to them," he was quoted as saying in a report published by DW.

Kugelman said he believes Bangladesh will not be forced to choose a side and will be able to balance between the superpowers quite well.

He said Bangladesh is successfully "reaping the benefits of great power competition" in its relationship with China and India.

"Its economic and defence ties with Beijing have grown significantly in recent years. We've gotten to the point where China is financing Bangladesh's first submarine base. This is another reflection of Dhaka's successes as a balancer," the analyst told DW.

The government, referring to international observers, said the 12th national election was held on January 7 in a free, fair, transparent, festive atmosphere and with large participation of the people.

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