China’s offer to become a part of an international consortium to build a deep sea port at Paira is a further indication of the strong case for Bangladesh to develop a new port. In a speech to diplomatic correspondents, the Chinese ambassador expressed willingness to co-operate with any country as contractors to help the Bangladesh government build a new port. It follows similar expressions made by the Netherlands government and companies from the UAE and Denmark in developing Paira and Chittagong ports. It is vital that the government take note of such international interest and speed up consideration of the various alternative locations and offers which have been discussed over the years. Bangladesh urgently needs new deep-sea port facilities to increase the capacity and efficiency of our ports to meet the growing needs of our own exporters. Building a new deep-sea port is imperative to improve the regional connectivity sought by the BIMSTEC and BCIM corridor intransitives. It is also vital to attract further foreign direct investment. There is a real risk that competitiveness may be jeopardised and investment diverted elsewhere as neighbours like Myanmar and Sri Lanka proceed with plans to develop new port facilities. The wide interest expressed in helping Bangladesh develop better deep sea port facilities is a reflection of confidence in the future growth of our economy and in the huge benefits offered by our key location between the growing markets of South and Southeast Asia. Bangladesh needs to take advantage of this interest now. A deep sea port is a critical investment with huge potential benefits for Bangladesh. The government should press ahead more quickly in building new port facilities.
