Bangladesh’s China-Backed Naval Dock in India’s Backyard!

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Excited to be with you as always. I have an interesting topic here, so today I'm just gonna delve into it directly. I'm not doing headlines, even though there are some, uh, uh, some headlines out there. Like for example, the Prime Minister of Slovenia, I believe, was, uh, in an assassination attempt. Uh, Slovenia, Slovakia, one of those. Uh, uh, the Iran deal, of course, that the US now is threatening India because India wants to cut a deal with, uh, with Iran. But I'm not going to address all this because this topic here, it's, uh, it's, uh, very important for you to understand what, what lies ahead regarding this development. So first, let me say hi to everybody as I always do. Uh, now there are some of you the first time I see here. Uh, Jey, first time I see you here. Good to have you here. Uh, uh, uh, Amin VTL, first time here I see. Masian Dorcié, Chicago, good, good to see you. Coach Hoy Hoy, Reza YT, Chanel, uh, U2Z Super, good to see you too, man. Here, Hamed City, as always. The Wacky Monkey, good to see you. John Smith in New Zealand. Uh, Alice, look in. Good to see you as always. Timeline Dunkley from New York, good to see you as always. Francis Tango, there you are guys, all of you. Taiwan Still, as always. Uh, Nabi, hola hola to you as well. And Dr. Shahbaz Khan, good to see you from Bahrain, good to see you here. So Wong KC, William N, good to see you William. And, uh, I'll be back as always. All right guys, let's get in into, uh, let's get in into our topic here because it's very, very important. And by the way, I appreciate you guys, uh, when I asked you for the, your feedback or the survey, uh, most of you picked up this topic here. And that in itself tells me something. You guys, and when I say you, I'm referring to all of you, of course, That gives me a sort of pleasure, if I may use the term. I'm very excited that you guys start to see really far out, because that was the reason why I put that topic there. Of course, I had the other choice for the survey, but about 60% of you picked up this topic because of the long-term impact. And that to me gives me hope. So, so I'm glad you guys picked that up and And, and, and I am going to be addressing this topic. What the topic is, is that Bangladesh of course got a deal with China about the naval dock which is near India's backyard. So there are those that I read from Western, uh, reports, oh, India is not concerned. It's a lie. There is no way in hell that India will not be concerned. Because that's a strategic move, and I'm going to tell you why as I move forward. So this is what I'm going to be addressing today, is about Bangladesh strengthening its military ties with China as the latter, meaning China, backs a naval dock in India's backyard. Very, very fascinating, uh, development here. Uh, this is a picture of Sheikha Hasina uh, when she went to China, which by the way, I am gonna disclose some information regarding some corruption cases. And again, we're not pointing fingers at Hasina or Bangladesh. All countries, including my own, there's massive corruption here. But in the case of Hasina, there is a lot to be known that has not come. I have my ways. I even go back as far as 3 or 4 years ago, and I'm gonna share some information with you as I move forward. Uh, let's ask the questions. The key question for this one that we need to ask, first of all, how concerned is India? And once again, when I read certain reports, it's saying, oh, India ain't concerned at all. That, that, that's not true. India is very concerned. They might not express it, they might not say it, but it is. Second question, what will India do? Because you all remember, and I'm going to give you an example here, You remember the visit by the head of the Bhutan to China. How did India react to that? And we all know, because there are 3 countries you have to think about near India. You got Bhutan. What are the other 2 that India has an influence in? Can you guys type in, in a chat box which the other 2 countries beside Bhutan that India has some sort of an influence India? Not directly, of course. Let me, let me see which countries you guys gonna, uh, uh, uh, write in here. It— oh, oh, you got it, you got it. Uh, Moise, Moise, hi there, you got it. Nepal and Sri Lanka. You guys got it, those two. And this is where it's very important to those who saying the analyst in the West that saying, oh, India ain't concerned. No, it is, it is. So, and, and the, the third question is what impact these developments may have on the security landscape in that part of the world first, then you think about the whole Southeast Asia at large. Well, again, I mean, just take a step back and consider the geopolitical ramifica— no, no, implications or the optics of it for China now to be able to send its submarine there or dock its vessel, its, uh, its military naval assets there. Just the optics of it. Okay, and the first question is, will the US meddle? Because here is the thing, why am I saying this? It's because the US and the UK just lashed out at— after the election of Hassina in January, they lashed out at her by saying, oh, you are now becoming undemocratic. Because she sent some, some to prison, political prisoners and so forth. I am not here to get involved in that, in my business, because I know about, uh, Sheikh Hasina background also, as far as the corruption that goes way back. And I'm gonna share that with you, and I leave it up to you to decide. I had a conversation with two individuals here in the US from Bangladesh, and what they told me— and that was a few months ago— Of course, I, I just talked openly with them and all that, and they disclosed to me that like the corruption runs rampant, and I can see why. Of course, I didn't want to disclose to them at that time what I know. It's because it was just a normal conversation. I let them do the talking more and more. And once again, guys, I just want to put this out: this is not about pointing fingers at Bangladesh. Corruption is in my country, right here in the US. Is as massive as you can even imagine. So, but when we address something like this, we have to put things out on the table. So, so let me start first with the idea of, uh, of, uh, why New Delhi or India will be concerned. And speaking of India, by the way, has just been threatened by the United States That means the US will impose sanction if India moves forward with Iran regarding the Chabahar Port. You all know about— I did a video for you about it. I mean, who gives us the right to threaten India? Ain't a right. India can cut a deal with whomever it wants. Who are we to come and tell India what you can do? But it shows you who's in charge here, who's the boss. As the saying goes. And this is why India will have to think, will have to think about its own, you know, fix the infrastructure, create jobs for the local people in India. You know, people that with education in India don't have jobs. So, so, but as far as us threatening India for sanctions, it's a— that's, that's not right. Same thing we did for Germany. So Anyway, uh, so I read the article and I came across an article, one by, uh, by Maria Siu, or S-I-O-W. And by the way, it was written in South China Morning Post. I used to write for South China Morning Post. If you ever check it out, type in my last name and it will pull up some articles that I wrote for them back then. So, well, this is where I disagree with the author of, of the article that it says, and I quote, New Delhi isn't overly concerned by the developments, analysts say, given the strong security and defense ties India has with Bangladesh. The, the latter part is true. India has strong military ties with Bangladesh because Bangladesh has been buying some weapons from India. But Bangladesh is seeing also where the trend is headed. So you start to think, we better strengthen our ties with the big player in the neighborhood than India, because China will offer more than just military hardware, will offer economic opportunities which Bangladesh need more than at any time. And this is why I disagree with this particular— the beginning of this article here, even though, uh, the, the, uh, Maria mentioned in the article that Things could change if China Navy is granted access to the new facility in the strategic Bay of Bengal to service its warships and submarines. Well, to me, that like doesn't make any sense for this to even be stated. It's a foregone conclusion. Why do you think China's gonna invest its money in building a, a dock or a naval, uh, uh, uh, sort of, uh, base and so forth. What is it for? Show? No, it is for China to have the ability to refuel, the ability to service its submarines, especially for China is thinking about the next 25 years and the changes that's gonna come on the landscape, uh, of the geopolitical landscape in the region. So to me it was like, you know, what is the purpose of something like this? It's a foregone conclusion. They just stated, uh, straightforward. So Before I delve deeper, I'm going to jump into geography because you need to know a few things about the geography of Bangladesh, but also the history. It's very important. And this is why this time around I decided to skip the headlines and go into the, uh, oh, let me remove the questions here and move into the, uh, geography and history. It's very important for you to understand this one here, guys. Oh, uh, here, here we go. Let me— oh, where is it? There we go. Let me make this bigger. Ah, geography. Bangladesh, of course, as you all know, it is in Southeast— it is a South, uh, Asian nation. It is situated both in in the northern and eastern hemisphere of the Earth. So geographically, major portion of Bangladesh sort of is located on a fertile, uh, land that's called the— and pardon me the pronunciation here— Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta. That's what it is, which is this one at the confluence of the Ganges Padma and Brahm Yeah, Brahmaputra and mega river and their tributaries, which is like in the area vicinity. So for us all, what's important to understand here is that Bangladesh is bordered by the Indian states of— by the West Bengal in the north and west, Assam in the north, Meghalaya in the north and northeast, and Tripura and Mizoram in the east. So this is what's important, but the key to this is the Bay of Bengal, which I will address, uh, as I move forward into all this. So you can just see the proximity to India is what gives India the influence on Bangladesh. That is, uh, to a degree. So now, as far as Bangladesh history it is very important to understand its history. Uh, for Bangladesh, when you think about it, of course it's a sovereign state. For its history, um, it has to go way back. There are certain, uh, parts of Bangladesh, uh, that were part of the ethno-linguistic regions of Bengal, because historically you have to understand how it's all started. And of course, this started during the, the division that existed during the partition of India. Now guys, can you type in, in the chat box when was that partition of India took place? What year? I just want to engage you here in the conversation. What year this, this one took place? Let me see in the chat box. Uh, 1972, no. 1947, no. 1950, no. You guys closer to the '40s, in the '40s, in the '40s. That's true, after World War II, in the '40s. I'm looking for the year exact. Not 9— not 1947. You're close. Oh, actually, actually, you're right, you're right, you're right. '47. '71 is something story. So you are right, uh, uh, uh, all of you guys, those who mentioned '47, you are right. Uh, the '40— the '71 is for something else, and I'm gonna detail here to you. So the partition of India in '47 as part of What was it at that time? Known as Muslim Union with Pakistan, which is separated from, uh, of course we all know, the war of 1971. This is what's important. Now there are two things I need you to keep in mind as we discuss these aspects of the history. Uh, first of all, let me go back a little bit into the history for centuries just to put this in perspective. The area that is now Bangladesh was part of Bengal region of India. This is historically speaking, and those are facts. And of course, it was ruled at the time by the same empires that ruled central India, from the Maurya, or Maurya rather, from the 321 to 184 BCE, to the Mughal in 1526 to 1858 CE. And when the British took control of the region and created their Raj in India, which was between 1858 and 1947, guess what, guys? Bangladesh was included. So of course, fast forward, uh, uh, this is when, uh, during the negotiations surrounding the independence and the partisan of British India, which was what? Predominantly Muslim Bangladesh at that time was separated from majority Hindu India. This is why you're seeing the tensions against Muslim today in India. In the Muslim League of 1940 Lahore Resolution, one of the demands was that the majority Muslim sections of the Punjab and Bengal will be included in Muslim states rather than remaining with India. And this historical fact, and I fact-checked this information here. So after communal violence broke out in India, some politicians suggested that a unified Bengali state will be a better solution. This idea was vetoed by the Indian National Congress, at that time was led by Mahatma Gandhi. And as we always say, the rest is history. You all know what happened at the end when British India gained its independence in August 1947. The Muslim section of Bengal became non-contiguous, which means non-part of, of the new nation of Pakistan at that time, because it was called East Pakistan. So it's very, very important to understand why this, uh, moved forward. I'll take you to 1972. Why 1972? This is when Sheikh Majibur Rahman— and, and you'll find it very interesting— Majibur Rahman was the first leader of Bangladesh. From 1972 until his assassination in 1975. Well, guess what, guys? The current prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajid, it's his daughter. That's what's interesting. So, and this is where the whole, uh, idea of the corruption became, after the political party, uh, which belongs to, uh, Hasina sort of took over. And it was in 2018 election, that's how the political dissent start to emerge, because the elections held on December 2018 saw a return of a landslide of the ruling party. But at the same time, it garnered several episodes of violence against opposition leaders an accusation of vote rigging. And again, we are not here to point fingers, we are here to share information. So like I said earlier, there are two things that you need to know. One, one is language, second one is religion. Well, the official language in Bangladesh, uh, is called Bangla. That's derived from the word, or Bengali. So those are the two. Of course, English is common use there in urban areas. And, and Bangla is an Indo-Aryan language descended from Sanskrit. That's where it's descended from. The sort of— it has a unique script. I saw it one time, how is written. Of course, I can't read it, but it's very interesting. Sanskrit language as part of it. So now, some of, uh, non-Bengali Muslim in Bangladesh speak Urdu, which is spoken in Pakistan, so as their primary, uh, tongue. That's what it is. So, uh, as far as the second part is religion, it's very important to understand. Why is this important? To put this in perspective as to the ethnic tensions that exist in India, mainly against Muslims. Religion comes to play a role into the history of, of Bangladesh. What the predominant religion, uh, or, uh, in Bangladesh, uh, are— is Islam, with about 89% of the population adhering to, to the Islamic faith or Islam religion. Among Bangladeshi Muslims, you have about 92% are Sunni. As you all know, to those who know the Arabic or the Islamic culture, they are Sunnis and Shiites. So 92% are Sunnis, 2% are Shiites. Only a fraction, which is about 1%, are Ahmadiyya. It's another sect within the religion itself. Hindus, on the other hand, are the largest minority, uh, religion in Bangladesh with about 10% of the population. And again Uh, there is also less than 1% Christians, Buddhists, and animists. So it just— it behooves us to understand, uh, this because it's very, very important to understand. All right, let's get into the analysis as to the naval dock that is in Bangladesh, and I'll provide you the pictures and all that as we move along. So, well, of course, understanding, uh, the visit that Sheikh Hasina made to China. That was in 2019, if I am not mistaken. I remember that visit, uh, yeah, 2019. That's when he went, uh, to, uh, China. Of course, she was received with an honor guard during a welcome ceremony because at that time China was thinking far ahead. And one of the strategies China was thinking about has to do with the naval base at the new— it's called Cox's Bazar Naval Facility, which by the way, it was established last year officially. Sheikh Hasina inaugurated that, and I will, I'll, I'll, I'll share more photos with you about this as I move forward. Now the idea of, uh, Thinking about what this naval dock means for the geopolitical and security landscape, well, big, big, it's big. Why? Because this naval dock will have the ability to host submarines and warships. You know, this is the, the whole idea of it. And both, not just from China, but also from, we, from within Bangladesh itself, because This assistance from China put the spotlight about Bangladesh now. Why? Because Bangladesh wants to boost its, uh, its, uh, uh, sort of, uh, uh, military ties with the Chinese, but also highlight the deepening partnership between Bangladesh and China. It's because Bangladesh sees the reality, the landscape, the geopolitical landscape reality where it is as far as the influence of China in that part of the world. When Bangladesh compares between India and China, the choice is clear. And again, what makes it very challenging is in India's backyard. So, and that was the picture I showed you. This is a picture of a satellite photo uh, that was released by, uh, by the way, this photo was released, uh, from, I believe, uh, Global Intelligence Research Network, if I'm to recall. It was released by Damien Simon, or Simon. He's a researcher there. So, and, and, and I can see his argument when he said, and I quote, this, meaning this facility, enhanced defense cooperation endeavor by China helps Beijing solidify its presence and influence in the region. End of quote. Is spot on. Uh, there is no other way of looking at it, except that when you hear, uh, about, uh, uh, some analysts saying, well, no, no, no, no, no, Sheikh Hasina for Bangladesh is trying to think about, okay, which, which side do I need to go with? China or India? And the choice is clear. That, that's to me becomes clear how, uh, how, how evident that is. Now the idea that analysts are saying, well, India shouldn't be concerned about this— no, it is. India is concerned, very, very, very much concerned. It's because If Bangladesh developed these ties, military one, with China, of course on a limited basis— China ain't gonna develop its hypersonic technology, whatever, because Bangladesh doesn't have the infrastructure for that stuff. But the fact, like I always say, in international relations, context matters, the optics of it. And as you notice, Bhutan went ahead and wanted to establish diplomatic ties with, with China. Nepal is also, because it's under the thumb of India, they're all trying to sort of free, break free from India's influence. Why? Because India is chaotic from within. If India was in a position, economically speaking, that it can sort of help those countries to move upward, economically speaking, yeah, I'm sure they will, they will agree to it. But India is in no position since it can't even fix its own issues first. And that's make more sense for Bangladesh to go with China rather than, than India. So, and the interesting aspects of it is that, uh, I have a picture here. This one here, this is the, uh, uh, Bangladesh, uh, uh, uh submarine that was, uh, inaugurated last year at the base, Cox's Base, last year in March. And, and by the way, I give credit to the photo to the Global Affairs Center of Bangladesh. I had to read up some of their reports, and, and that's, that's what it was. Of course, they got a help— they do get help from India. I'm not saying they don't. It's just this seeing, this seeing, they, the, the, the Bangladesh is seeing it makes more sense to go with China than to go with India. So, and by the way, this facility, uh, which cost about $1.2 billion, was inaugurated last year, as I said, by Sheikh Hasina. Now, there are those who argue Does Englandish— Bangladesh has enough resources to devote to this? Of course China foot the bill for this, but China ain't gonna do it for free either. There are others who argue, well, maybe Bangladesh should have think twice about the economic ventures versus military hardware. The same argument some have made for India itself, or for Pakistan for that matter. It's because the whole region there, it's on a tiptoe. That's, that's how it is geopolitically. And we know, we in the United States know that we can press buttons for whatever country we want to. This is why I'm saying, you know, how will the US react? Look what the US just announced today as far as threatening to sanction India if he moves ahead forward with the deal with Iran regarding the Chabahar port. So, and, and, and I am wondering, what will Modi, Prime Minister— what will Prime Minister Modi do? You know, I don't think so he's in a good position. You know, he cannot afford to anger his master, and I'll use the term because it's straightforward. India will do— this will prove if India takes its, its stand, its ground, then that tells me something. And I will be happy to sort of state it as is, because now they showing the US that no, we can take our— we can make our own decisions. But as of today, as of now, I can't say that till I see what the outcome of this will be. So, and what's interesting also about the base is that it is near an area where the turbine have been built. And who built that? It was China, uh, because those turbines, uh, sort of, uh, by Chinese company, uh, that's the ones that build this, uh, are seen as like the Cox's Bazar, which is the base, the naval base last year. That's the one that's going to be providing, uh, sort of, uh, electricity and so forth. I give credit to, uh, uh, South China Morning Post, uh, because that's their photo there. So, and this is where that idea of where the concerns are gonna be coming forward. So, because here's the thing, when you see when you see infrastructure like this, this is not a small matter. A major base with submarines, uh, you, you have the, uh, the wind turbines that can generate electricity and so forth. Those are major. And that's what begs the question as to what will India do? And that's what we asked. So, and that's why I use the term concern. Because it is concerned. India is concerned. The reason for what I'm saying, I'm standing by my conviction regarding this, because based on, on my own academic research and reading and so forth, India has always seen sort of the Indian Ocean as part of its sphere of influence. This is why we acquired India into Quad. Because if there are any tensions, military one, in South China Sea, we're gonna give the green light to India to patrol the Indian Ocean. I say, hey, take, take care of this part of the world while we're dealing with this. In other words, we want to use India for that because it was always perceived that in the Indian Ocean is— but that era is gone, in my opinion. Why? It's because China is increasing its presence with two things. One, its base in Djibouti. Yeah, the reason why China went ahead and established a base in Djibouti— I, I was there, I saw it with my own eyes. It's small, it's not a big like what you think about the US presence in Philippines or South Korea or Japan. No, no, no, no, no. It's for logistical only, but to China it was for a reason, is to ensure access to Indian Ocean. Why? Because the transfer or the transport of goods, one-fourth of global goods transit through Indian Ocean. That is the reason why. So, and now you're seeing even Russia getting into talks with the two countries in the Horn of Africa Eritrea and Sudan, all access to the Indian Ocean. So it's been seen that, oh, India is the one sphere of influence. No, no, no, not anymore, not anymore. Why? Because as I said, China has increased its footprints in that part of the world. So there is another reason also, and the other reason has to do with, uh, and I'm gonna tell you about Maldives. Okay, what was the first order of business when the new president of Maldives sworn in? What did he do? And I did share this with you guys before. Let me just, uh, if you can share this in the chat box. So yeah, he did one particular announcement. He did one announcement that is major. So, oh, oh, John Smith, you got it, booted India out. He booted India out because, and you know the reason for that, is because, because India— I'm sorry, China and Maldives signed the security agreements. That was in March, by the way, last year. And this is where the Chinese sent the delegation. That's why I'm saying, uh, you have to see the big picture of these changes. And to those analysts in the West that saying, oh, India ain't concerned— no, no, you are misleading the viewers here. You can't, you can't just say something like this when it, it defies logic. It goes against the reality of how it is. India is very concerned, you know. And mind you that when India cut a deal with Maldives, it cut also a deal with Sri Lanka and Nepal. You got the idea what China's objective is. China's objective is strategic, you know. And those countries, meaning the likes of Maldives, the likes of Bangladesh, the likes of Sri Lanka, the likes of Nepal, Bhutan, they're going to be looking at economic opportunities with China. It's not a— the military is small fraction of it because these countries are not where they need to be militarily in comparison to China. So it doesn't make any sense. But for Bangladesh to have its own now submarine, that at least sending the signals as to where it want to go. That is, that is what, uh, uh, uh, the importance of understanding why India will be concerned. So, and of course, this falls within the security ties between Bangladesh and China. That was the whole reason for why, uh, uh, developing this kind of, uh, uh, uh, the base, that is the naval. But in addition to the joint military exercises and so forth that these two countries, uh, been addressing together. So I'm gonna take you to, uh, geography once again, but this time not for, uh, Bangladesh, but rather the west of Bengal, because we need to see, uh, the location for this to put it in perspective for you. There we go. Let me share the screen with you, and I give credit, by the way, to World Atlas for this one, as always. So, west of Bengal, very, very important to understand. And the, the Bay of Bengal forms the northeastern portion of Indian Ocean. This is what's the key also. This is why China— this is why I say to you guys, always, always in geopolitics, see the big picture. There is only— there is more than one part, moving part, for you to form that, uh, full picture. So now the Bay of Bengal is shared by Southeast and South Asia countries and separated from the Burma Sea, which also known as Adaman Sea, to its east, and by the Nicobar Islands and the Andaman Islands. The bay's southern limit is between Sangamon Kanda in Sri Lanka and Sumatra in Indonesia. The Bay of Bengal is bound by several Asian countries, including of course India to the northwest and west, Myanmar to the east, Bangladesh to the north, Sri Lanka to the southwest, and Indonesia to the southeast. So, uh, India's Nicobar and Andaman Islands also border the bay on the east. So, and that's what it's important, uh, for you guys to understand, uh, why is this make more sense strategically for China. Why? Because China will have now, uh, uh, the ability to access, uh, bases including Sheikh Hasina submarine base at Cox's Bazar, uh, for sustainment and maintenance, as I mentioned earlier. This is why I had that picture for you. This is the base that was inaugurated, uh, last March, last year. That's what it was. Very, very important to understand that. And for, uh, strategic advantages, or to me it says that— it tells me rather that China is thinking about what's coming. And like I always say to you guys, what I see over the horizon is tensions in that part of the world, and China wants to be prepared. Because you think about now what's taking place in, in Ukraine. Ukraine is winding down. So we already working on creating the next, the, the, not the next, but, uh, to push now the openly the next conflicts in, in, in Asia because that's where it's going to be. So, and, uh, so you think about also, uh, the future, you think about the future of the Chinese naval fleet in Indian Ocean. It's very important to put this in perspective. So, uh, the importance of this, because China has to think about certain areas geographically, the difficulties of it. This is what the US doesn't realize, that if we get— and this is just a scenario, ain't gonna happen— but just in case we get involved in a military conflict with Chinese, we don't have the advantage the Chinese do. Proximity and geography. China wants to avoid this in this part of the world. This is why assisting Bangladesh with that base, it solves the geography issue for China. So, because here's the thing, any, any Chinese vessels or armada, whatever you want to call it, in the region will have to be dealing with the challenges of geography. And this is also where India has the advantage because geography, proximity to the water and so forth. So, and this is where I see, uh, uh, uh, the challenges ahead as to this issue. Yeah, a lot of, lot of Western media is not going to pay attention to this, and, and I am glad you guys picked this up during the survey. You wanted this topic because that tells me now you start to see the big picture. You're looking over the horizon. Mark my word on it, you're going to see the issue coming up down the road. Because if we are to talk about just Bangladesh, you're going to have to think about our, uh, the other issues for India, which will be thinking about, uh, the activities that's going to be taking place in the Bay of Bengal, you know. And also you have to think in terms of the Andhra Pradesh area around there and what's going to be taking place. This is why, to those who say, well, India ain't concerned— no, it is concerned big time, big, big time. And I'll share some articles with you later on, guys, that, that, uh, if you get a chance to read it, you will have a better understanding of all this. Now, now, I can't I cannot, uh, uh, move on without addressing the corruption from within in Bangladesh, and I happen to know a few things, so I'm going to share them with you. First of all, let me, uh, uh, share— not share, but rather, uh, yeah, share a picture with you, and we just go. This is the picture of Hasina at the official residency. Remember, she is the daughter of the founder of Bangladesh who took over in 1972 and was assassinated in 1975. Now, how massive is the corruption there? Very, very. As a matter of fact, it was an investigation that was a few years ago And, uh, that involves what they call the Five Ahmeds. I'm going to share picture. To those from Bangladesh, you will know what I'm talking about. Okay, the picture you're looking at, that one you're looking at, those are the Five Ahmed brothers. Those are brothers. The top one on the left, his name is Anis Ahmed. Okay, that guy has fled Bangladesh to Kuala Lumpur. Why? Because he was on trial in 1996 for the murder of Mustafa, Mustafa Izzur Rahman Mustafa. But this guy Anis returned to Bangladesh for a family wedding in 2019 and nothing was done. Second one, the general, General Aziz Ahmed. He's the chief of staff of the Bangladesh Army and close confidant of Sheikh Hasina for decades. They go way back. His brothers are convicted criminals who evade capture with his help. Third one, is Harris Ahmed. Now, Harris Ahmed, to my knowledge, which is surprising, you know where he lives? To my knowledge, he lives in Budapest, Eastern Europe. So, and again, we're not judging here, guys, remember. Uh, and he's wanted by Bangladesh authority for the Mustafa murder. And, uh, and by the way, to my knowledge, again, he's not— he doesn't move around with his true name. He has an alias name. So the fourth one, Joseph Ahmed, or Yusuf Ahmed, he's sentenced to death for the Mustafa Ahmed. And this one, this guy Yusuf Ahmed, his sentence was commuted. To life in 2015. And here is where the, the tricky part about the corruption. He was— he received the presidential pardon in 2018. What happened in 2018? That's when Sheikh Hasina won the fourth term. So, and after that, he met with his brother in Kuala Lumpur in 2019. And the last one is Tipu Ahmad. Ahmad is the youngest Ahmad brother who was killed in 1999. So, uh, they are, they are based on the what I read, the report for the investigation, that, uh, he was involved in some gang, gang violence and, and he got involved in some shootout with the police and so forth. So, but again, the idea of, uh, this is another picture of during the wedding that took place in 2019. The one in the bottom is the general, that's General Aziz Ahmed. The one at the top is, uh, that one is Harris Ahmed, who lives in Budapest. So it— once again, it's not about— I just need to highlight this to you because you need to understand where Bangladesh is. So, and, uh, uh, corruption runs rampant. But again, it's not just in Bangladesh, it's every country on Earth, you know, not to the extent of some others. But again, for us here, for my country, there is massive corruption. It just is done differently, is done in a subtle way. When you have leaders here, so-called leaders, uh, uh, uh, entering Congress as a member of Congress, all of a sudden in 5, 10 years they accumulate tens of millions of dollars, if not hundreds. Makes you just wonder, well, that's basically corruption. That's what it is. So, and this is where, uh, uh, the Bangladeshi people that I talk to mentioned to me, uh, those they live there and they are familiar with what's going on. This why the corruption is so rampant there. But again, we're not judging here, we're just sharing knowledge here. To put this in perspective with all this, and by the way, Sheikh Hasina won the elections in January, and this is where the US and UK— yeah, those two countries— came out and criticized, uh, uh, saying that, uh, the, the elections in Bangladesh were not, uh, fair. Well, wait a minute, since when we are talking about fairness of elections or any, any matter, uh, in, in, into that effect? Look what the West is doing. Look at the double standards, even for my country that kind of called itself a beacon, beacon rather, of democracy. What democracy? What human rights? What freedom of speech? What this? What's that? It's nothing but a bravado. So we shouldn't, we shouldn't be criticizing other countries when we are doing the worst. So, but again, my point for you is just to highlight to you the idea of, uh, when a country the like of Bangladesh, the like of India, the like of Pakistan, the like of whatever, that there is not economically well-developed go and spend money on weapons versus economic infrastructure. Now, if China does it, they can afford it. And as a matter of fact, if you have the economic base, you will automatically translate into military strength. That's what we did after World War II. This is exactly what China is doing. This is what Russia has done. Back then, Soviet Union. And even when the Soviet Union fell, 1991, the, the Russian Federation took few years after 1991, all of a sudden they built the economic infrastructure and the base and translate that into the military. But for country like Bangladesh, India, uh, Sri Lanka, uh, Bhutan, Nepal, and all those, they, they can't afford that. They can't afford that. It makes more sense for them to focus on the, uh, on the, uh, economic. Even some Western, uh, uh, uh, media outlets, not sort of the printed versions, that is, like Time. Time had an article which I will share with you guys. It says, and I quote, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's authoritarian return or authoritarian turn— in the language you can just see we're flipping on Bangladesh. So why? Because also Bangladesh chose China. And that's what I'm saying when those analysts saying oh India ain't concerned. No no no no no no no! India is as concerned as he can get. Because it's a fact and that's how it is. So, all right guys, uh, that's all I have to share with you. I am going to answer a question or two and sign off to go work on, uh, on, uh, one particular topic I have in mind without disclosing that. By the way, be on a lookout tomorrow for a recorded video I'm going to be releasing about the— I did brief analysis for you about the security landscape in South China Sea, what I see coming. And I did a recorded one, a brief one, uh, take a look at it tomorrow morning. Also, I, uh, I have reached out to, uh, Professor Yang Liang. She responded, but I'm still waiting on confirmation on the date. Uh, so we decided on either this Friday or the following Friday but I haven't heard back from her. I'm sure she's busy, and I'll wait till I hear back from her. And the moment I do, I'll post it for you in the community, and, and we'll just have a, a conversation with that. So, uh, one thing I want to share with you guys is from some of you, and, and I'm going to be doing this once a while. I'll share a few comments, uh, and this pertains to what we talk about. For example, last time we talked about how things are going very bad in Europe This is in conjunction with the visit of the Chinese president to Europe, France, Serbia, and Hungary, and how those two countries, Hungary and Serbia, are benefiting economically while Western Europe is kind of going down the drain. Well, one of our viewers, uh, uh, screen name @Jerry1677, shared with us, and he said, and I quote, hi David, regarding the prices, because I did ask you guys Anybody in Europe watching this, please share with us what's going on there for the whole community. Well, he wrote regarding the prices in the EU, especially Czech Republic. The government just increased the taxes, taking money from hospitals, schools, elderly people, and so on. Other points, they are going according to the agenda from Brussels or Washington. So, and this is why, uh, and I'm not going to read all of it, it's so long. So I also want to give a shout out and thank Orwellian Purple Craves 1984. Thank you so much for your detailed linguistic assistance when I asked about how do you pronounce Xiulong, which is a dragon, how I pronounce it. And, and, uh, Orwellian Purple wrote a whole paragraph detailing the, the sounds and all that. I am very grateful to you for that. So, and the last comment from one of our viewers by Jahangir Alam, he wrote, and you guys can, uh, correct this if it's wrong, but I share what he thought. He said, and I quote, India should give back Kolkata 'Back to Bangladesh. It belongs to Bangladesh.' End of quote. What do you guys think? So, and I just wanted to— I'm gonna be doing this once a while because I read your comments in their entirety, because that's how I interact with you and communicate with you and learn about you. So this is why I'm gonna be once a while just picking up one or two to share with all of us. So, all right, uh, let me post the link One of you again asked me to put the request for the support for, for, uh, the channel in Chinese language. I don't speak Chinese, so if you guys can help me out, I want to put this one here, or this is for PayPal for those who wants to support the channel, or the ones for Buy Me a Coffee. If you can help me out with putting this in Chinese language, I'm gonna post it. Why not? So, and if there are those in other parts of the world that can, uh, you know, afford to support the channel, I'm very grateful. You all know the kind of information I bring you. This is not on the top of my head, you know. I'm coming with the decades of experience. I'm coming with vast knowledge that I acquired, you know, professionally and academically. You know, I've been boots on the ground. I moved around almost 28 countries. Around the world. So I've been in— in the dark parts of the world. So it's not like that I used to travel and stay in 5-star hotel. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I spent my times in the mountains, slept on the ground in my sleeping bag. So I'm— I'm bringing experience to you and knowledge, that is. And your support is what sustain this channel to keep going because I told you, I am not interested now in returning to teaching here. I'll consider teaching overseas but not here. So, so if you want to support the channel, here are the links, and I'm very grateful to all of you. So, all right, let me answer a few questions from you guys, uh, and I'm gonna sign off after that. All right, okay, question from Alistair Loughin, question: why is India in control of Nagaland? Uh, I don't have an answer to that either. There are a lot of complexities. And all I know is that those countries— Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka— you know, India has some sort of an influence. But again, you have to go back to the history. Of how the whole area developed, uh, prior to India's independence and so forth. So, so it's, it's, it's very, very, very, very complicated. So, and I wish I have an answer for this, uh, and, and I'll do it. So, all right, let me see another, uh, question from you guys. I much appreciate your civil discord here, guys. Uh, oh, and Anfo is Slovakia Prime Minister. Thank you for clarifying this. I mentioned earlier either Slovenia or Slovakia, so thank you for, uh, putting this for all of us to see. So, uh, Q7E, what are your thoughts on India signing a trade deal with Nigeria? Oh, I am not even aware of this. I'm gonna have to take a look at it. Uh, Hmm, I wonder what type of deals they're going to be signing, you know. I hope Nigerians know what they are doing because Nigeria also massive corruption in that country beyond what you can even imagine. This is why Nigeria is so rich in oil and yet there are a lot of poverty there. So, so I'm going to look into this and, and if I find something worth your time, guys, and I will share it with you. So, why— hey, question, Doc, why your thoughts on these two current events, Nasrallah's speech and the shooting of Slovakia? Yeah, I know about the Robert Fico, uh, because he opposed— he opposed the support of the EU towards Ukraine because he's saying it's— this is going nowhere, it's time to sit down with the Russians and negotiate. And they now wanted to send a message to— that's, uh, who's behind it? I don't know. I, I just found out about it. I'm gonna read up and reach out to some of my contacts to find out. But, but I do know for a fact, because when he won the elections, uh, they even— the EU said that the Russians have interfered in the elections, which is nothing but a lie. You— we all know how it is. So, uh, as far as Hassan Nasrallah's speech, it's because Hezbollah is increasing its bombardments in the northern part of Israel. It's getting bad now for Israel where things are headed. So, uh, but again, till I see concrete evidence on the ground, uh, Hassan Nasrallah is moving cautiously, and the only reason for that is he doesn't want to drag Lebanon into a major conflict. I do know for a fact that Israel is not going to go and invade Lebanon. They can't. This time is different than from what it was back in the '90s. So, okay, uh, uh, William N., will you do a show on Biden-China's tariffs? Yeah, if you guys want it, I'll be happy to do it. As a matter of fact, FYI, I did send a request to Elon Musk. So if Elon Musk is watching this, I extend an invitation for him on the show to come and talk about Chinese EVs. So it will be great if he can come over. I am not a millionaire, I'm just an average citizen. I don't have this kind of, uh, it's going to be just basic if he wants to, but I care about the content. So if he wants to come over, it will be an honor, it will be a privilege to have him on the show here, and we just talk openly and frankly. And I do have some serious questions for him. It's because I do believe, and I will tell him straightforward, Elon Musk playing both sides. And that's to me personally, uh, I, I don't, I don't deal with people like that. I'll tell them straightforward. But, but again, he will be a guest. You got to give the proper respect. That's the way I look at it. So yeah, I, I'll be happy to do that one for you guys. All right, one more question. I'm gonna scroll all the way down and sign off after this one here. Uh, uh, TK, yes, he was raised in South Africa, as a matter of fact. Yeah, he is from South Africa, but he's an American now. So I mean, to us Americans, who's American here, literally? And this is why when, uh, uh, when, uh, Trump just announced some stupid— it is stupid comments— saying that, oh, I'm gonna deport American students who criticize Israel, how stupid that is. That, that shows you right there, you know, it's the idiocy. Because who is American here? We all came from somewhere. Just because you were born here doesn't mean a thing. You know, the land belonged to the Indian originally. So, uh, I never get it. I never get it. So, uh, question from Reza. Oh, I'm sorry, this is Hong. Uh, I saw Reza first. I'll do this one first and answer the other one. Is Japan dying? It is. It is because here is the thing, guys, here is the thing. Why do you think the United States quadrupling the tariffs on the Chinese EVs? I'm gonna take you back to the '70s. What happened in the '70s in Japan is the same thing. We impose tariffs and we shackled the economy of Japan because we saw Japan moving forward. This is the exact thing we're doing. So, so yeah, Japan is done for, and yet Japan is serving the United States, getting involved in this squad and, and, and the quad, whatever that, you know. To me, it's just like, they rather focus on their country, you know. You think about the demonstrations that's taking place in Okinawa. They want to be independent. They don't want the US presence. And yes, the Japanese Prime Minister couldn't extend. So, so the short answer is yes, Japan is dying. And the last question from Hong Ruan: in the UN Council meeting, a two-state solution is 6, number 4, give up, say, do you think there will be a two-state? No, no, it won't. It won't. It's, it's a— if you get the UN Security Council out of it then yes. But again, there are certain charters within the UN that Security Council will have to play a role in certain decisions. And this is why personally I will say, uh, two things: either get rid of the UN altogether, which means by, by default you dissolve the UN Security Council, or you rotate the UN Security Council on a yearly basis. Rotate the countries. You can't have 5 permanent— Russia, China, France, UK, and— no, no, the world has changed. And, and, and the better way, the way I see it, is get rid of the UN altogether. Because you look at what's taking place in, in, in, in, in, in Palestine, in Gaza, whatever, the UN proved to be toothless. There is no power. So what's the point? And, and just keep giving money to the UN. Yes, it send humanitarian aid, but here it is, people need aid and UN couldn't get in. Why? It's because a member of the national security— of the UN Security Council vetoed ceasefire. So that's why to me it's kind of, uh, uh useless. Get rid of it. And it shouldn't be in New York. Last time, one of the— I think Iranian foreign minister came to New York as part of the UN, and we kind of restrict his movement. Why? You know, that is sad to see what my country is doing, because we are going in reverse. Any legal aspects or laws, whatever We are just sort of ignoring all this and saying, you do what we say. Well, no, what happened to that international law that has to be observed by everybody? You can't do that. But that's also a sign for the decline of my country, is the reality. That's how it is. All right guys, I hope you find this very informative, and I look forward to seeing you next time. As always, Remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. And by the way, guys, please make sure to hit the like button. I will truly appreciate it. See you guys, bye-bye.