• US offers Bangladesh alternatives to Chinese military systems.
• US wants good Bangladesh–India ties for regional stability.
• Washington urges more global support for Rohingya response.

The United States is concerned about China’s expanding presence in South Asia and is planning to offer Bangladesh’s next government US and allied defence systems as alternatives to Chinese hardware, Washington’s ambassador to Dhaka told Reuters.

Bangladesh votes in a general election on Thursday after a Gen Z-led uprising toppled India-allied prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. She has since taken refuge in New Delhi, allowing China to deepen its influence in Bangladesh as India’s presence wanes.

China recently signed a defence agreement with Bangladesh to build a drone factory near the India border, worrying foreign diplomats. 

“The United States is concerned about growing Chinese influence in South Asia and is committed to working closely with the Bangladeshi government to clearly communicate the risks of certain types of engagement with China,” US Ambassador Brent T Christensen said in an interview on Tuesday.

“The US offers a range of options to help Bangladesh meet its military capability needs, including US systems and those from allied partners, to provide alternatives to Chinese systems,” he said without offering further details.

China’s foreign ministry said that as comprehensive strategic partners, China and Bangladesh have cooperated in political, economic and security fields, benefiting both countries.

“Our mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation is not directed against any third party, nor will we tolerate interference from any third party,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

Christensen also said that President Donald Trump’s administration would “like to see a good relationship between Bangladesh and India to support stability in the region”.

New Delhi-Dhaka relations have nosedived since Hasina fled, badly affecting visa services and cricket ties between the two neighbours.

Commercial diplomacy is priority

Christensen said many US businesses were looking at potentially investing in Bangladesh but would want the next government to show early and clear signs that it is “open for business”.

“Commercial diplomacy is one of our top priorities, and we look forward to working with the new government to build on progress made with the interim government, particularly in strengthening commercial, economic, and security ties,” he said.

Energy producer Chevron has been in Bangladesh for decades but not many other US companies are visible in the densely populated country of 175 million people, as high taxes and difficulties repatriating profits have created some hurdles.

The envoy said Washington would work with “whichever government is elected by the Bangladeshi people”. 

The race is between two coalitions led by former allies, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat‑e‑Islami (JI), with opinion polls suggesting the BNP holds an advantage.

Aid for Rohingya refugees

Regarding the 1.2 million Rohingya refugees sheltered in Bangladesh, the ambassador said the United States remained the largest contributor to humanitarian operations.

“The US remains the largest contributor to the Rohingya refugee response and continues robust health programming in Bangladesh,” he said, noting a recent $2 billion worldwide funding framework signed with the United Nations to improve the effectiveness of such assistance, including in Bangladesh.

He urged other international donors to take on a greater share of the burden.

“The US cannot sustain the bulk of the effort alone. International partners need to increase their support for the Rohingya response,” he said.

In recent years, the UN refugee agency has been struggling to raise sufficient funds to support the Rohingya community, leading to cuts in their rations and the closure of some schools for them.

DHAKA: Millions of young Bangladeshis will vote for the first time on Thursday in a landmark election to determine the country’s leadership following a 2024 student-led uprising that ended former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic rule.

Young people aged 18 to 27 make up 44% of the country’s 129 million voters, many of whom say they never voted during Hasina’s 15-year iron-fisted tenure.

Elections under the ousted prime minister’s rule were marred by allegations of widespread rigging and bans on opposition parties.

Faijullah Wasif, 33, a university official preparing to cast his first ballot, said he didn’t vote while Hasina was in power because he felt it wouldn’t make a difference.

“It was mainly because of fear and anxiety that I didn’t go,” he said. “I did not even feel interested.”

The demographic bulge of younger voters has forced parties to recalibrate their campaigns and messages.

The digital battleground has become central to the campaign, and parties have invested heavily in online outreach, from Facebook videos to TikTok reels.

‘Excited’

This election, Hasina’s former ruling Awami League has been barred.

Instead, the parties once crushed under her rule are running — the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies, and a coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest religious party.

Ashfah Binte Latif, 21, a student at Dhaka University, said her parents had told her stories of past elections, pre-Hasina, when polling day was celebrated like a festival.

“Now that we have managed to change the system, I am very excited,” she said.

The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by the student leaders who spearheaded the uprising, have allied with Jamaat-e-Islami.

Latif said she expected more from the young student leaders, but she is still eager for change.

“We expected young people to lead us — and in many ways, they did,” she said. “If they fail, it’s a failure for all of the young.”

The spark that ignited the 2024 unrest started on university campuses by students opposed to a quota system in the civil service, which they said excluded them from jobs.

‘Respect’

A year and a half later, Bangladesh’s economy remains fragile, and graduates still struggle to land their first job.

Election expert Md Abdul Alim, a former member of Bangladesh’s election reform commission, said he expected a strong youth turnout.

“These young voters will carry this sense of deprivation with them to the polls, and they will vote,” he said.

Of around 2,000 candidates vying for the 350 seats — some 1,400 standing for the first time — more than 600 are aged 44 or below, according to statistics from the electoral commission.

Wasif, the university official, believes the fresh faces will benefit Bangladesh.

“Our trust in young people is very strong, and our hopes are high,” Wasif said.

“Since young people brought about this change, I believe that it is through them that Bangladesh’s political culture will undergo a radical transformation.”

Latif hopes it will usher in a more democratic leadership.

“A government that won’t see dissenting voices as enemies, but will respect them,” Latif said.

• Meeting set to begin at 11am local time in White House.
• Netanyahu making sixth visit to US since Trump took office.
• Tehran warns of “destructive influences” on diplomacy ahead of visit.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump on Wednesday to take a tougher stance in nuclear talks with Iran, after rushing to Washington to stiffen the US president’s resolve.

Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting — set to begin at 11am local time (1600 GMT) — that he was weighing sending a second US “armada” to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.

But Netanyahu, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, will also be urging the US leader to take a harder line on arch-foe Iran’s ballistic missile programme.

Tehran, which resumed talks with Washington last week in Oman, warned Monday of “destructive influences” on diplomacy ahead of the Israeli premier’s visit.

Netanyahu had been expected to come to Washington for a February 19 meeting of Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza, but reportedly brought forward his visit as the US-Iran talks proceeded.

What does Trump think?

While talking up hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump warned in an interview with the Axios news outlet on Tuesday that he was “thinking” of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.

“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told Axios. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”

Trump, who ordered US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran last June, separately told Fox Business that any deal would have to involve “no nuclear weapons, no missiles.”

He added that Iran’s leaders “want to make a deal” but “it’s got to be a good deal”, saying Tehran had been “very dishonest with us over the years.”

What are Netanyahu’s goals?

Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would “first and foremost” be about the Iran negotiations, while adding that they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.

“I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations,” he said in a video statement before his departure. Netanyahu’s office said he would will highlight Iran’s missile arsenal.

Israel’s concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking military targets.

So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear programme, though Washington also wants Tehran’s ballistic missile programme.

What about the West Bank?

The meeting will also come amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.

Israel’s security cabinet approved the move ahead Netanyahu’s Washington visit. It’s unclear whether the US president intends to bring them up.

A US official said on Monday that Trump “does not support Israel annexing the West Bank” and wants stability, while holding off from directly criticizing the Israeli government´s moves.