SILIGURI, India (Diya TV) — India is closely monitoring reports of a possible Chinese airfield project in Bangladesh’s Lalmonirhat district, a location uncomfortably close to the strategically critical Siliguri Corridor — a narrow land stretch known as the “Chicken Neck” that connects mainland India to its northeastern states.
The Chinese plan may have been quietly discussed during Muhammad Yunus’s recent visit to Beijing, the chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim regime. While no official documentation from either side mentions the proposed airfield, Indian intelligence and diplomatic circles are on high alert over the potential implications.
The Siliguri Corridor, barely 22 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, is bordered by four countries—Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and China—making it a geopolitical chokepoint. Any military or strategic infrastructure development by China in nearby Bangladesh could drastically alter New Delhi’s regional security calculus.
Lalmonirhat district in northwestern Bangladesh sits close to West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts and lies not far from the Chicken Neck. Analysts fear that a Chinese airbase here, even if initially civilian, could be converted for military use, thereby expanding China’s strategic footprint in India’s eastern neighborhood.
“Even the prospect of Chinese fighter jets being stationed so close to India’s northeast would mark a dramatic shift in the security landscape,” said a senior Indian official who spoke to The Economic Times on condition of anonymity.
So far, no Chinese aircraft have been stationed in the region, but the mere idea is setting off alarm bells in India’s defense establishment. The Indian Army already maintains a strong presence in the Siliguri Corridor to secure the vital connection to its northeastern states, including Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Further complicating the regional picture, Bangladesh appears to be strengthening diplomatic ties with Pakistan — a development that could raise further concerns for New Delhi. Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch is scheduled to visit Dhaka on April 17, followed by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on April 24. These will be the first ministerial-level visits from Pakistan to Bangladesh since 2012, and according to The Economic Times, several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed.
Security analysts say the visits suggest a renewed strategic interest between the two nations, potentially at a time when India’s relationships with both Pakistan and China remain tense.
Meanwhile, India is also ramping up its defense capabilities. According to a report from The Times of India, the Indian Navy is set to commission a new strategic naval base near Rambilli village in Andhra Pradesh, just 50 kilometers from the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam. The base will house India’s growing fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and is expected to become operational next year, with plans for further expansion.
