Ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While the Narendra Modi government tried its best to reconcile Sheikh Hasina with US and UK, its proxy in Indian sub-continent, the Indian national security establishment knew that Sheikh Hasina and US had mutual dislike for each other.
The American adverse reaction to Sheikh Hasina was more because of her allowing China to build a submarine base in Pekua, Cox’s Bazaar and buying two Ming class submarines from Beijing rather than her adherence to multi-party democracy.
Built by Chinese company, the naval base is aptly called BNS Sheikh Hasina.
While Bangladesh, under Sheikh Hasina, was opposed to Pakistan, its proximity towards China and deepening bilateral military cooperation had raised red flags in New Delhi and Washington.
Much to Sheikh Hasina’s surprise, her bureaucracy had already cleared the docking of PNS Taimur without informing her. »