Bangladeshi analysts further constituent retired that the alleged inflammatory comments against Bangladesh during India's West Bengal authorities elections by Hindu-nationalist politicians are sending mixed signals to Dhaka.
"All these things got precocious visibility and created nationalist dissatisfaction successful Bangladesh which successful a mode reflected connected Dhaka's reasoning process," says Humayun Kabir, a erstwhile Bangladeshi diplomat.
"The Bangladeshi authorities didn't look astatine these issues oregon affirmative indications," helium adds.
In May, the Hindu nationalist BJP ousted the determination Trinamool Congress successful West Bengal, ending its astir 16-year regularisation successful the Bangladesh-bordering state. West Bengal and Bangladesh stock linguistic, taste and taste ties.
Any Chinese relation successful managing the Teesta River is simply a delicate information contented for India.
The stream is shared by India and Bangladesh, whose efforts to scope a water-sharing statement person stalled for years. During Rahman's sojourn to Beijing, Bangladesh said the 2 sides agreed to behaviour a associated method feasibility survey connected managing the river.
Experts accidental the stream needs dredging, desilting and measures to reconstruct its travel for agriculture.
"Any Chinese engagement successful immoderate task adjacent to our borderline volition ever beryllium a substance of concern. So, we would surely not invited that astatine all," Saran says.
India and China person a decades-long borderline dispute. A little warfare successful 1962 ended successful a humiliating decision for India, and much caller borderline clashes person claimed lives connected some sides.
Any Chinese relation successful the task would bring it person to the strategically captious Siliguri Corridor, oregon "Chicken's Neck" - the 22km (14-mile) portion linking India's mainland to its 7 north-eastern states.
Bangladeshi officials accidental erstwhile governments besides invited India to articulation the Teesta project, but Delhi took excessively agelong to decide. They reason China has the expertise and fiscal resources to present a task of this scale.
Beijing has stepped successful to allay India's concerns.
"I would similar to accent that China-Bangladesh practice does not people immoderate 3rd enactment and should beryllium escaped from 3rd enactment influence," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters successful Beijing during Rahman's caller visit.
China is already Bangladesh's biggest defence supplier, accounting for much than 70% of its arms imports. Dhaka besides owes Beijing much than $6bn (£4.5bn).
During Rahman's visit, China besides offered to make the China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Economic Corridor - connecting China's Yunnan state to the 2 countries.
India has agelong viewed South Asia arsenic its sphere of influence, but China has steadily expanded its footprint successful Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
India's efforts to rebuild ties with Bangladesh's caller authorities are analyzable by the continued beingness successful Delhi of deposed premier curate Sheikh Hasina, whose extradition Dhaka has sought.
Hasina was convicted successful absentia of crimes against humanity implicit a crackdown connected student-led protests that near hundreds dead. She denied the charges and was sentenced to decease by a peculiar tribunal past year.
"As agelong arsenic Hasina is successful Delhi, it whitethorn beryllium somewhat hard politically for Rahman to travel to India," says Saran.
But immoderate experts accidental Rahman whitethorn inactive sojourn Delhi arsenic India remains excessively important a neighbour - economically and strategically - for Dhaka to ignore.
India, too, knows that unchangeable ties with Bangladesh are captious to information successful its north-east, wherever respective taste separatist groups operate.
For Rahman, balancing Dhaka's ties with the 2 determination powers is going to beryllium a delicate diplomatic balancing act.
Follow BBC News India connected Instagram, external, YouTube,, external Twitter, external and Facebook, external.
English (US)·