5 min readJul 27, 2026 01:24 PM IST First published on: Jul 27, 2026 at 01:24 PM ISTBangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first foreign tour was always going to be read closely across the region. First trips carry symbolic weight; his choice to begin with Malaysia and China last month has fuelled speculation about realignment in Bangladesh’s foreign policy. The contrast with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s approach is worth noting. In 2024, Hasina travelled to India twice within a fortnight, first for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony and then for a state visit, before heading to China. That order reflected the old habit of reassuring India first. Rahman has inverted it. Although Modi invited him after his electoral victory, Rahman bypassed India. This signals a reset, not a rupture.Malaysia was a practical opening move. Bangladesh’s diplomacy today runs on jobs and remittances as much as geopolitics. In May, Bangladesh received $3.43 billion in remittances, up 15.34 per cent from the previous year. Rahman’s ask to PM Anwar Ibrahim to reopen the labour market, hire more workers, regularise undocumented workers, and curb middlemen was about defending that lifeline. The two countries are also working toward a Free Trade Agreement by 2027, while Bangladesh is seeking ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner status. Rahman’s meetings with Petronas, Axiata, AirAsia, Perodua and MMC Port added a concrete investment track to the trip, implying revival of BNP’s “Look East” policy.AdvertisementChina was a more strategic stop. In Beijing, Rahman met President Xi Jinping, producing 15 memoranda of understanding (MoUs), two agreements and a 16-point joint communiqué. He urged Beijing to import more Bangladeshi products. The infrastructure agenda was equally significant. Bangladesh owes China around $6.2 billion, while Chinese firms have invested $7.7 billion in the country, half of it in energy. The visit covered Chattogram Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone, Mongla Port modernisation, Teesta River management, and deeper Belt and Road cooperation, with Chattogram standing out for its projected 1,00,000 jobs and over $500 million in initial FDI.Also Read | Saudi-US nuclear deal exposes alarming contradictions of new world orderHowever, this should not be read as a China tilt. Rahman is trying to create strategic options. India remains Bangladesh’s most important neighbour by geography. Border management, river water, trade, connectivity, energy, security and people-to-people ties make India unavoidable. But unavoidable does not mean automatic. By not rushing to Delhi first, Rahman is signaling that Bangladesh will engage India with greater bargaining power. Something palpable, as India has officially invited Rahman to participate in the BRICS summit from September 12-13, a positive step in the right direction and an indicator of winds of change blowing in the neighborhood.This is where the comparison with his late father, Ziaur Rahman, becomes relevant. After 1975, Zia widened Bangladesh’s foreign policy by improving ties with Islamic nations and beyond while engaging South Asia, an effort that fed directly into the establishment of SAARC, and recognising him as one of the founders. Zia is also credited with solidifying the foundation of Bangladesh-China relations during his visit in 1977. Rahman appears to be drawing on the same instinct: To avoid dependence on any single partner and widen Bangladesh’s diplomatic manoeuvres.AdvertisementRecent comments from Bangladesh’s foreign affairs leadership reinforce this reading. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said that Bangladesh’s strategic ties with India, China and Russia will be guided by mutual benefit and the welfare of Bangladesh’s citizens. She also indicated that Dhaka should not feel forced to choose between regional platforms like SAARC and BIMSTEC.For Bangladesh, the test now is delivery, not intention. A Malaysia-first policy must create safer migration and better jobs, not another cycle of worker exploitation. A China-focused infrastructure policy must bring investment without debt pressure. And an India reset must address issues like water sharing, border concerns, and political trust, without turning disagreement into hostility.you may likeRahman’s early diplomacy is therefore an attempt to move Bangladesh from dependency to choice. Malaysia serves the worker. China serves the builder. India remains Bangladesh’s closest and most consequential partner. The success of this policy will depend on whether all three can advance Bangladesh.That is the real meaning of the first foreign tour. India has not been denied. It has been deferred. In that delay, Rahman is trying to write a new doctrine for Bangladeshi diplomacy — one that begins not with loyalty to any capital, but with Bangladesh’s own national interest. Something the new Bangladesh Prime Minister likes identifying as “Bangladesh First.”The writer is chairman of the international think tank, The Institute for Policy, Advocacy and Governance (IPAG)