Bangladesh’s Army Chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, said in an interview on Wednesday that ties with India are based on mutual "give and take," while China is considered a "partner" in Bangladesh’s development.

Speaking to the Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, Zaman stated that India was an "important neighbour" and that Dhaka would not move against New Delhi's strategic interests. However, he emphasised that relations must be founded on "fairness." “We are dependent on India in many ways. India is also benefiting from us. A lot of their people are working in Bangladesh, both formally and informally. Many people from this country go to India for medical treatment. We buy many products from them. So, India has a great interest in the stability of Bangladesh. It is a give-and-take relationship,” Zaman said.

The Bangladesh army chief said that while countries benefit from each other, good relations should always be based on fairness. “People should not think that India is dominating Bangladesh or doing something that is against our interests,” he said. Zaman’s interview was the first since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted. She fled to India on August 5 and is now in New Delhi. Hasina left the country after two months of student-led protests against a controversial quota system. These protests quickly turned into demands for her resignation. Her harsh crackdown on the demonstrations led to over 1,000 deaths, marking the bloodiest period in the country’s history since its independence in 1971. Relations with Bangladesh's interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, have been strained since Hasina sought refuge in Delhi.

Last week, Yunus’ government officially requested India to extradite Hasina to face trial at the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka. The Nobel laureate also stated that India is spreading a "false" narrative about attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. India has responded by saying that it is the responsibility of Bangladesh’s interim government to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities. This message was conveyed to Yunus by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during his visit to Dhaka earlier this month. Zaman also clarified that the new government will not support rebel groups from India’s northeast. Under Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh took strong action against these groups, which had previously received support from earlier governments. “When I look at their interests, they will also look at my interests with equal importance. There will be no instability in our Chittagong Hill Tracts. Stability will not be destroyed on the Myanmar border. They will not kill our people on the border. We will get a fair share of water. There is no problem in that,” said Zaman when pressed on support to Indian rebel groups.

During the interview, Zaman emphasised the employment of Chinese weapons in their military forces and called China a "development partner" to Dhaka. “Friendship with all, no hostility with anyone… Our foreign policy is excellent. We have to move forward with balance. China is our development partner. They have a lot of investment in Bangladesh. So, China is very important to us. We are using many Chinese weapons. The Air Force is using it. The Navy is using it. Their weapons are relatively cheap,” he said. In an opinion article published by the Daily Star on Wednesday, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, stated that China would support Dhaka's "independent foreign policy."

Yao mentioned that Beijing backs Dhaka’s effort to become a partner country in the BRICS group. He also appreciated Bangladesh’s role in both the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).