Security concerns in New Delhi have been raised by recent reports of a possible Chinese-backed airbase in Bangladesh’s Lalmonirhat district, especially with regard to potential threats to India’s strategically important Chicken’s Neck corridor.
Although the accuracy of these claims is still up for debate, Indian strategic anxiety has increased due to the reported location’s closeness to India’s limited northeast corridor and concurrent diplomatic changes in Bangladesh’s relations with China and Pakistan. In light of shifting diplomatic dynamics, this analysis looks at the airbase’s alleged plans, conflicting reports about its existence, and the wider regional security ramifications.
According to reports that surfaced in late 2024, Bangladesh intended to build Asia’s second-largest airbase in the Lalmonirhat district with Chinese technical assistance. The Bangladesh Air Force had reportedly announced plans for a large 700-acre airbase that would house 70 fighter jets close to the strategically important Chicken’s Neck region. According to reports, the proposed facility would have three primary divisions: an aerospace technology university, a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) division, and a combat operations division.
Although official documents from the visit made no mention of such a project, it is possible that the proposed airfield was discussed during the March 2025 visit to China by Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser for the interim government of Bangladesh. With the stated objective of strengthening ties between Bangladesh and China, Yunus met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other business leaders during this four-day official visit. It was anticipated that a number of memorandums of understanding and agreements would be signed in fields such as economic and technical assistance and human resource development.
An important geographical vulnerability for India is the Chicken’s Neck, formerly known as the Siliguri Corridor. The only land link between the northeastern states of India and the rest of the nation is this slender, 60-kilometer-long, and 22-kilometer-wide route in West Bengal. The corridor’s location, sandwiched between Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and China, adds to its strategic significance.
There are serious security ramifications for India from any military installation close to this corridor. Given how difficult it is to defend due to the narrow passage, the Chicken’s Neck is frequently referred to as India’s “Achilles heel” in its defense strategy. According to military analysts, a mere 130-kilometer advance could isolate about 50 million people in the northeastern states of India from the rest of the nation. India’s capacity to resupply the northeastern region in the event of conflict may be compromised by the placement of air assets, artillery, or anti-aircraft weapons in this area.
The visit to China by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus in March 2025 demonstrated Bangladesh’s desire to deepen its relationship with Beijing. Yunus met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and prominent Chinese business leaders during this visit to discuss economic cooperation, including a possible investment from Longji, the country’s biggest producer of solar panels. Discussions regarding agricultural trade, medical cooperation, and technical assistance came out of the visit.
Following political changes in Bangladesh, relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan have improved, coinciding with closer ties between Bangladesh and China. The first ministerial visit from Pakistan to Bangladesh since 2012 is planned for April 24, 2025, when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to Bangladesh. During Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, relations were tense for a long time before this visit.
Bangladesh is a “brotherly country,” according to the Pakistani Foreign Minister, who also said that Pakistan would provide Dhaka with all the assistance it could. Direct trade via sea routes has already been established, and a number of restrictions on the import and export of goods between the two nations have already been removed.
Should the alleged airbase come to pass in spite of conflicting reports, India would face serious security difficulties. The ability of India to protect and keep in touch with its northeastern states may be threatened by the presence of fighter jets and air defense systems so close to the Chicken’s Neck. Potential adversaries could monitor and possibly stop movement through this vital corridor if such an installation were placed strategically.
Regardless of the airbase issue, India may face a strategic challenge from the region’s reported diplomatic realignments, with Bangladesh bolstering its relations with both China and Pakistan. These events may indicate a change in the regional power dynamics that have kept South Asia relatively stable over the last ten years.
The planned Chinese-supported airbase in Bangladesh’s Lalmonirhat district is the subject of conflicting information, but the strategic issues it raises underscore the continued security vulnerabilities for India’s northeastern frontier. India’s eastern defense posture is still shaped by the crucial strategic vulnerability known as the Chicken’s Neck corridor. Regardless of the veracity of the specific airbase claims, concurrent diplomatic developments between China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh point to changing regional dynamics that Indian strategic planners should closely monitor.
India faces a shifting strategic landscape on its eastern border that goes beyond the particular issue of a Chinese-backed airbase, as Pakistan’s foreign minister gets ready for the first high-level visit to Bangladesh in more than ten years and relations between Bangladesh and China continue to improve under the interim government. The intricate and dynamic character of South Asian geopolitics is reflected in these developments, which will continue to influence the dynamics of regional security in the years to come.
