Politics and Possibilities of Deep Sea Port in Bangladesh: A Special Focus on Matarbari Port Project

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue X, October 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Politics and Possibilities of Deep Sea Port in Bangladesh: A Special Focus on Matarbari Port Project

Jannatul Ferdous¹ & Moinul Islam^2
1Lecturer, Department of International Relations, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology, Gopalganj.
²Moinul Islam, Lecturer, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, Northern University of Business and Technology Khulna

Abstract: The economy of Bangladesh is booming gradually year after year and the government is also planning for huge infrastructural development to boost up its economic sectors. Infrastructure like Deep Sea Port or Deep water port can bring both economic and military significance for a country. China, India and, the USA were in the race of aiding Bangladesh to construct deep sea port in the Bay of Bengal to gain exclusive access and control over the Bay as well as the Indian Ocean. China was about to start Sonadia Deep Sea Port which was cancelled due to India’s & the USA’s concern. Bangladesh then strategically sided all those three powers and by changing the location of the port construction, brought comparatively pacifist Japan to build her first-ever deep Sea Port at Matarbari, in Cox’s Bazar district. This paper critically measures the deep politics after doing a content analysis of the events related to the research area. Besides, the importance of the Bay of Bengal and how it could shift the regional politics has also been discussed in the perspective of Bangladesh, India, and China.

Keywords: Deep sea port politics, Matarbari deep sea port, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh-China-India, Sonadia port cancellation, Blue economy

I. INTRODUCTION

Bangladesh is regarded as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world which is continuously having more than 6% economic growth for a decade. According to the World Bank Report, 2019, the pace of Bangladesh’s economic development is faster than India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Afghanistan (“Bangladesh 2nd fastest growing,” 2019). Focusing on economic growth 8.13 percent, head of a highly dignified business delegation of Germany, Peter Clasen regarded Bangladesh as a new ‘Asian Tiger’ (“Bangladesh: the tiger of Asia’, 2019). For resilient economic growth uninterrupted foreign trade, sufficient port facilities, diversification of export products, infrastructural development, developed road, and railway connectivity throughout the country- are essential. Energy, infrastructure, and Transportation is the key to success in the field of Economy, Human Index, Education, and Social Development in this age of Globalization. That is why Bangladeshi policymakers, politicians, and bureaucrats are trying to build a sustainable transport system and energy supplying route.

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