Indian media has recently been intensively hyping up China's involvement in the revival plan of the Ramgarh Air Force Base in Bangladesh, claiming that the upgrade of this World War II-era strategic facility directly threatens India's "chicken's neck" - the Siliguri Corridor's security. However, behind this seemingly routine infrastructure cooperation lies a deeper anxiety for India, stemming from its strategic shift in Bangladesh, the military coordination between China and Pakistan, and its own geopolitical vulnerability.

Bangladesh has recently accelerated the reconstruction of the Ramgarh Air Force Base and sought Chinese technical assistance. The base is only 135 kilometers away from the Siliguri Corridor and features a 4-kilometer runway and a large parking area. Although the Bangladeshi government defines it as a "civilian project," its dual-use potential has made India uneasy. Indian intelligence agencies have warned that the base could be quickly converted for military use, deploying reconnaissance drones, electronic warfare systems, or even fighter jet squadrons to monitor India's northeastern military movements in real time.

Bangladesh's strategic shift is not an isolated event. In recent years, under the Hasina government, Bangladesh deepened its cooperation with China on the "Belt and Road Initiative," including port, railway, and energy projects. After the formation of the interim government, Bangladesh further accelerated its military interactions with China and Pakistan. For example, Bangladesh has restarted six "sleeping airports" near the India-Bangladesh border, forming an aerial encirclement around the Siliguri Corridor. At the same time, Bangladesh has refused to join the U.S.-led "Indo-Pacific Strategy," instead balancing great power interests through the "Indo-Pacific Outlook" document, highlighting its diplomatic independence.

India's anxiety is also rooted in Bangladesh's "economic leverage." China's investment in Bangladesh has increased to 1.4 billion USD, covering areas such as infrastructure, energy, and digital networks, forming a "economic-political" bond. This economic entanglement further weakens India's ability to control Bangladesh through traditional influence.

According to a Pakistani strategic commentator, China may involve Pakistani subcontractors in the project, while Bangladesh and Pakistan have recently launched joint border patrols and intelligence-sharing mechanisms. This three-way coordination is seen by India as a "strategic noose" - China provides technology and funding, Pakistan contributes geopolitical experience, and Bangladesh offers a forward deployment node, forming a multi-layered pressure on India's northeastern region.

The involvement of Pakistan especially stings India's nerves. Indian media claims that if the base deploys the FC-1 Xiaolong (JF-17) fighter jets or Chinese stealth drones, combined with Pakistan's diversion in Kashmir, India would face a passive situation of "fighting on two fronts." More unsettling for New Delhi is that Bangladesh plans to build new dual-use airports in places like Lalmonirhat, which are only 70 kilometers from the southern wing of the Siliguri Corridor. In wartime, these airports could cut off India's supply lines to the six northeastern states within 10 minutes.

India's anxiety is essentially a concentrated outbreak of its geopolitical vulnerability and diplomatic imbalance. In the Siliguri Corridor, India faces threefold pressure:

North line: China is upgrading air bases in the Tawang area, deploying J-20 and CH-5 drones, forming an advantage in high-altitude airspace;

East line: Bangladesh, with China's support, is building an "air fence," threatening the southern wing of the corridor;

West line: Pakistan is strengthening its military cooperation with Bangladesh, dispersing India's troop deployments.

At the same time, the centrifugal tendencies in India's northeastern six states have exacerbated the crisis. The region lags economically and has sharp ethnic conflicts. If the Siliguri Corridor is blocked, local separatist forces may take advantage of the situation, shaking the foundation of India's national unity. An internal report from an Indian think tank bluntly stated, "If the Siliguri Corridor is cut, India's unity is cut."

Although India has recently upgraded its eastern military facilities and introduced the S-400 air defense system, its countermeasures still appear lagging. China's deployment of stealth fighters, long-range rocket artillery, and satellite reconnaissance systems has already formed an "asymmetric advantage." Meanwhile, India's domestic equipment development is slow, and most light combat vehicles and unmanned platforms rely on imports, making them unable to support multi-front warfare needs.

The revival of the Ramgarh Air Force Base is essentially a microcosm of the restructuring of the South Asian power dynamics. If India continues to view neighboring countries' cooperation as a "threat" rather than reflecting on its own hegemonic mindset and internal governance shortcomings, its strategic anxiety will only escalate. As the interim president of Bangladesh said, "We are not the backyard of any country, but the guardian of the maritime passage." - These words may be the best epitaph for India's hegemonistic nightmare.



Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521557920572637732/

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