It is known to all that Sri Lanka is the maritime epicentre between South Asia and South East Asia. Sri Lankan Ports’ connectivity potential with South Asia and Southeast Asia is massive. It is an active member of SAARC and BIMSTEC. It is situated on the centre-point amongst the regions of ASEAN, SAARC and BIMSTEC. Sri Lanka has very good ties with all South Asian and Southeast Asian countries.
On the other hand, Bangladesh’s 271 Km border with Myanmar can play a strategic role as a potential trade corridor between the two neighbouring countries. However, at present, the area is militarized due to ongoing internal conflicts in Myanmar. Were this to be resolved, Bangladesh could develop routes via Myanmar to access China to the east, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to the south, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to the west.
Trade and investment
Cambodia is also close to Myanmar, with Thailand a neighbouring State of both countries. Were the Rohingya conflict to be resolved, Myanmar and other ASEAN countries could access South Asia through Bangladesh. If the Bangladesh-Myanmar-Thailand-India trilateral highway project and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) corridor were integrated, ASEAN members could access the markets of Sri Lanka, Northern India, and the Himalayan countries of Bhutan, and Nepal. Achieving improved ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar is therefore very important to develop strategic trade and investment for the region.
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| ASEAN map |
Myanmar can also use Bangladesh as a transportation route to reach markets such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and India. Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Myanmar are all members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), an organisation consisting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand that seeks to foster regional and economic cooperation. Its in-person Summit is to be held in Colombo in March this year. Other ASEAN nations such as Cambodia should join BIMSTEC to utilize the benefits.
With better access to the SAARC free-trade bloc through Bangladesh, Myanmar and other ASEAN nations would benefit in boosting their own regional trade ties with India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.
There are signs that Myanmar and Bangladesh, with assistance and mediation, can resolve their disputes. Their maritime borders have recently been defined through the International Court of Justice (ICJ). As a result, the rights of Bangladesh maritime assets have been established in an area of 111,000 square kilometres. Myanmar’s waters have also been properly identified. Therefore, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and ASEAN have the potential to develop joint maritime projects in the Bay of Bengal.
Sri Lanka’s cooperation with ASEAN
The ASEAN Regional Forum was established under the aegis of the ASEAN in 1993 and Sri Lanka has been a member of the ARF since 2007. It is an important platform for providing a constructive security dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest and concern in the Southeast Asian region. It provides a platform for members to significantly contribute to efforts towards confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region. Bangladesh is also an active member of the ARF.
ASEAN is one of the largest economies in the world. Sri Lanka should increase its trade with ASEAN members. Sri Lanka can show the ASEAN Member States that it is one of the gateways between ASEAN and SAARC. According to media reports, Sri Lanka trades with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, where Sri Lanka’s top five exports to the region include ships, food products, parts of footwear, refined oil, machinery, electrical equipment and parts, while the top five imports from ASEAN are refined oil, machinery, electrical equipment and parts, food products, gold and cement. ASEAN members could benefit from growing trade ties with Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is the only country apart from India that has good relations with ASEAN and it can see many opportunities for ASEAN.
Bangladesh’s cooperation with ASEAN
Bangladesh already has bilateral cooperation with ASEAN Members such as Cambodia. In 2010, the two countries agreed to set up a Joint Commission for bilateral cooperation. Ten agreements signed in 2017 are expected to enhance bilateral ties and strengthen economic cooperation between the two nations.
Bangladesh has proposed a long-term land cultivation agreement for farms and the country is also keen to sign a long-term agreement to import rice from Cambodia. Both countries regularly conduct joint agricultural research.
Bangladesh has also provided assistance to Myanmar in the form of counter-terrorism training as well as COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The Rohingya refugee problem has, however, continued to create tension between the two countries, and finding a viable solution can serve the longer-term interests of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Cambodia can assist in this regard through its good relations with Myanmar.
Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Cambodia can also increase joint investments in the agriculture sector, particularly for products such as rice and spices and other products including pulses, spices, fish, and rice. This, in turn, can enhance trilateral relations and encourage trade and investments between ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries.
(Pathik Hasan is a Dhaka-based NGO activist, researcher and freelance writer on contemporary international issues whose work has been published in many local and international publications. Academic background: BSS (Peace and Conflict Studies) and MSS (International Relations) under the University of Dhaka. He can be reached at [email protected])
- Eurasia Review
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