China’s Belt and Road Initiative Leaves a Lasting Impact in BD

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has revised the cost of the Bay Terminal Marine Infrastructure Development Project to Tk13,525.27 crore—down from an initial estimate of Tk14,600 crore—following evaluation committee recommendations.

The cost of DWASA’s 'Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project' has surged by Tk 28.28 billion in its third revision, raising the total estimated budget to Tk 109.75 billion—126.38% higher than the original Tk 48.48 billion approved in 2013. Despite an 11-year delay and 87% physical progress, the project remains incomplete.

In FY24, Bangladesh's business competitiveness has declined due to rising costs in logistics (15–20% of production expenses vs. Vietnam’s 9–11%), energy (high reliance on imported LNG and furnace oil), and finance (lending rates above 13% compared to Vietnam’s 7–9% and India’s 8–10%).

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has requested China to develop a 50-year masterplan for managing the country’s complex river and water systems, which are vital to its ecosystem but also pose significant challenges.

The Shikha project, launched by the European Union and Brac, addresses gender-based violence (GBV) in Bangladesh, where recent studies show alarming rates of harassment: 80% of women in garment factories, 74% of female students, 94% of women using public transport, and 68% of women on online platforms have faced violence.

Banglabandha land port, once a key trade hub connecting Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, is facing a severe downturn due to its reliance on Bhutanese stone imports. Daily truck arrivals have plummeted from 300–400 to just 60–70, leading to a revenue drop to Tk 91 crore in January.