China extends support to Dhaka after Bangladesh Nationalist Party election win

By Saadet Gokce, Ahmad Adil, Islamuddin Sajid

ISTANBUL / NEW DELHI / ISLAMABAD (AA) - China on Friday extended support to Dhaka after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a two-thirds majority in general elections.

Hailing the “steady and smooth” elections held a day earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing supports Dhaka “in advancing its domestic political agenda.”

China stands ready to “work with Bangladesh to take bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership forward,” Lin told reporters in Beijing.

According to Bangladesh Election Commission senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed, the BNP won 209 seats, while its main competitor, a Jamaat-e-Islami party-led bloc, secured 77 seats in the 300-seat parliament.

Bangladesh held general elections on Thursday, the first since the 2024 popular uprising that ousted the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Maldives congratulated Tarique Rahman, the BNP leader.

Extending warm regards to the BNP, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu expressed readiness to “work closely together to further advance and deepen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the Maldives and Bangladesh.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi will continue to support a “democratic, progressive and inclusive” Bangladesh in a post on US social media company X.

Modi also held a phone call with Rahman after the declaration of victory.

“I conveyed my best wishes and support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh,” Modi said. “As two close neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress and prosperity of both our peoples.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Rahman on his “resounding victory” and the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the elections.

“I look forward to working closely with the new Bangladesh leadership to further strengthen our historic, brotherly multifaceted bilateral relations and advance our shared goals of peace, stability and development in South Asia and beyond,” Sharif said.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have seen ties warming in recent months.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called the BNP victory “a triumph of democracy,” offering congratulations to Rahman and the party on their “emphatic election victory.”