Bangladesh diversifies seaport contracts away from China

Bangladesh is diversifying its maritime infrastructure development by awarding major seaport contracts to international operators, potentially slowing China's strategic expansion in the Bay of Bengal.

The Chittagong Port Authority has signed a 30-year agreement with Denmark’s Maersk Group to design, finance, build, and operate the Ladia Container Terminal under a public-private partnership. This follows a previous agreement for the development of Matarbari Port involving concessional loans from the Japan Overseas Cooperation Agency.

While a China-funded project was previously planned to develop the Mongla Port with new container jetties, successive Bangladeshi administrations have sought to avoid total reliance on Chinese investment. Other foreign entities are already active in the region, including the Saudi-based Red Sea Gateway Terminal, which operates the Patenga Container Terminal in Chittagong.