China Attempts To Reassure India Over Bangladesh's Teesta Project: 'Doesn't Target Third Party'
China Attempts To Reassure India Over Bangladesh's Teesta Project: 'Doesn't Target Third Party' Published By, Last Updated: June 29, 2026, 19:13 IST Beijing signalled that
China Attempts To Reassure India Over Bangladesh's Teesta Project: 'Doesn't Target Third Party' Published By, Last Updated: June 29, 2026, 19:13 IST Beijing signalled that it had no intention of slowing the project, stressing that cooperation with Dhaka "should be free from third-party influence". Rapid Read A general view of the Teesta river is pictured at Sevok, some 20 kms from Siliguri. (IMAGE: AFP) China appeared to reassure New Delhi on Monday that its cooperation with Bangladesh on the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) was not directed against “any third party". At the same time, Beijing signalled that it had no intention of slowing the project, stressing that cooperation with Dhaka “should be free from third-party influence" despite India’s security concerns over the strategically sensitive Teesta basin. The proposed project has emerged as a sensitive issue for India because of its location close to the Siliguri Corridor.
“I would like to stress that China-Bangladesh cooperation does not target any third party and should be free from third-party influence," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing while responding to a question on India’s concerns. India has been closely watching the proposed project because the Teesta basin lies close to the Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the Chicken’s Neck — the narrow strip of land connecting the country’s northeastern states with the rest of India. New Delhi’s concerns stem from the possibility of an expanded Chinese footprint in an area of immense strategic importance. Any sustained Chinese involvement in infrastructure and water management projects near the corridor could create fresh security concerns and potential strategic vulnerabilities along one of India’s most critical land links. Seeking to allay those concerns, Guo described the Teesta project as a livelihood initiative for Bangladesh. “The comprehensive treatment and restoration of the Teesta River is a livelihood project to which the Bangladeshi side attaches high importance.
China is ready to do what it can to support this project," he said. “China stands ready to seek greater synergy in development strategies with Bangladesh and step up exchange and cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, water conservancy, and livelihood," Guo added. The remarks came as Bangladesh moved the project a step further. Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman said experts from Bangladesh and China would, for the first time, carry out a technical feasibility study for the Teesta project, a key milestone before any large-scale implementation. “Both sides have agreed on this, which was not at the same stage last time. China has said it will provide all possible support to this project, as the feasibility study justifies it," Rahman said. The project has steadily gathered momentum in recent months. In January, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Chinese state-owned POWERCHINA extended their memorandum of understanding, allowing preparatory work on the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project to continue.
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