Sheikh Hasina Stresses On ‘Partnerships And Collective Efforts’ As Part Of Indo-Pacific Balancing Act

Bangladesh State leader Sheik Hasina on Friday highlighted the nation’s directing international strategy rule of “kinship to all and perniciousness towards none” and focused “associations and aggregate endeavours” to accomplish harmony and success in the Indian Sea area.

Her remarks were a reaffirmation of Dhaka’s non-alignment foreign policy at the sixth Indian Ocean Conference, which was held in Dhaka and was organized by the India Foundation, a think tank, and the Bangladeshi foreign ministry.

At a time when Washington and New Delhi want to reduce China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, many think that Dhaka’s non-aligned policy is too ambivalent.

As a result, Hasina’s remarks seemed significant because they came just 30 minutes after Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar praised Bangladesh for its Indo-Pacific Outlook document, which was released on April 24.

A source in Dhaka said Hasina had attempted a “difficult exercise” — attempting to fix any conceivable disturbance the Indo-Pacific Standpoint might have caused China — by focusing on a non-arrangement strategy at a gathering went to by senior government officials from India, Japan, the US and Australia. The conference is not being held in China.

“In his well-known Joined Countries discourse of 1974, Father of the Country Sheik Mujibur Rahman talked about our international strategy decree: companionship to all and noxiousness towards none,” Hasina said.

“This is pertinent for Bangladesh in the Indian Sea locale as the nation tries to figure out activities for a versatile future, harmony and success through organizations and aggregate endeavours.’

In his keynote address at the inaugural session, Jaishankar stated: In expressing its views on this crucial topic, Bangladesh joined a number of other nations from ASEAN and East Asia to Europe and North America.

“The Indo-Pacific region is a real thing, and it’s getting bigger every day. It is a declaration of our current globalization, and I am truly pleased that Bangladesh has joined those who have done so.

Concerns about the freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade through the Indo-Pacific, which accounts for approximately 60% of global trade, have arisen as a result of China’s rise to economic, political, and military power. This has also led to intense competition between the United States and China.

The US, India and nations, for example, Japan and Australia have thusly been enthused about accepting Bangladesh at a time their Indo-Pacific system is aimed at countering China’s developing impact in the district.

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Hasina has made it abundantly clear in her remarks at the conference that she would not permit either Washington or New Delhi to dictate Dhaka’s position on foreign policy.

Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s former foreign secretary, stated, “Bangladesh wants to maintain a degree of autonomy in its foreign policy, security policy, and economic policy choices, and we are always on the side of peace.”