Overview
- Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar says Islamabad aims to expand the China–Bangladesh–Pakistan trilateral into a wider grouping that could serve as an alternative to SAARC.
- Bangladesh foreign affairs adviser Touhid Hossain said participation is strategically possible for Dhaka, but he remains non-committal and noted he only learned of Dar’s remarks through the media.
- Hossain added that Nepal and Bhutan are unlikely to join any grouping with Pakistan that excludes India.
- China, Bangladesh and Pakistan held their first trilateral meeting in Kunming in June, agreeing to deepen cooperation in trade, infrastructure, health and debt management and to create a joint working group.
- Analysts doubt the proposal will gain traction without India’s economic and strategic weight, while reporting underscores China’s potential to extend its Bay of Bengal reach through BRI-linked engagement.