French President Emmanuel Macron is in Bangladesh for a two-day visit, the first by a French President in 33 years. Macron visits Dhaka following his participation in the G20 summit in New Delhi, with his trip coinciding with US President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam.
France's Indo-Pacific strategy, climate change, the fight against poverty and Rohingya refugees topped the agenda during the meeting between Macron and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – according to a statement by the French embassy in Dhaka – as well as trade and investment.
The first-ever Bangladeshi satellite, Bangabandhu-1, was manufactured by the French company Thales and launched into space by Elon Musk's SpaceX in 2018. Bangladesh' Daily Star newspaper reports that during Macron's visit, discussions are expected also focus on a second satellite deal, with Thales responsible for both manufacturing and launching it.
In June, Bangladesh's Biman Airlines said it would order 10 Airbus A350 widebody planes, including two cargo aircraft, from the Toulouse-based European multinational in which France holds a significant stake, decreasing its dependency on US airplane manufacturer Boeing.
Bilateral trade between France and Bangladesh grew from €210 million in 1990 to €4.9 billion today.
France is currently Bangladesh's fifth-largest export destination.
Human rights concerns
Ahead of Macron's visit, human rights watchdog Amnesty International urged him to "raise human rights concerns with the Bangladeshi government," saying that "human rights in Bangladesh have taken a turn for worse, as the country heads towards a general election next year."
According to the NGO, repressive internet legislation, extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances "still continue," while authorities "continue to crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," persecuting organizations such as Odhikar and activists who speak out on human rights violations.
Bangladesh: Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Bangladesh this week, @amnesty urges President Macron to raise human rights concerns with Bangladeshi government, including the implementation status of the recommendations France made to Bangladesh in the last UPR…
— Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office (@amnestysasia) September 8, 2023
Meanwhile, Macron's visit fits into France's Indo-Pacific strategy, in tandem with US President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam, aimed at strengthening a broader security alliance against what is perceived as a growing influence of China in the region.
Reshaping relationships
President Joe Biden arrived in Vietnam on Sunday, at a time that Hanoi is looking to dramatically ramp up trade with the United States – a sign of how competition with China is reshaping relationships across Asia.
The president has made it a point of pride that Vietnam is elevating the United States to the status of being a comprehensive strategic partner. Other countries that Vietnam has extended this designation to include China and Russia. Giving the US the same status suggests that Vietnam wants to hedge its friendships as US and European companies look for alternatives to Chinese factories.
At a fundraising event in in Salt Lake City last month, Biden underlined that Vietnam doesn't want a defence alliance with the US, “but they want relationships because they want China to know that they’re not alone” and can choose its own partners. Like Macron, Biden decided to tack a strategic visit to a country in the neighbourhood after they both visited the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi that ended Sunday.
"Dire in all areas"
Biden, too, has come under criticism for his visit to a state which, activists say, grossly violates human rights.
Vietnam's rights record is "dire in virtually all areas," according to New York-based Human Rights Watch.
Government critics face intimidation, harassment, restricted movement, arbitrary arrest, detention and imprisonment after unfair trials, and there are reports of police torture to extract confessions, HRW says.
Competition with China is no excuse for Biden to ignore Vietnam's troubling human rights record when he visits Sunday. It would be hypocritical and counterproductive for Biden to denounce China's detention of political prisoners while ignoring Vietnam's. https://t.co/zMZU0lLxry
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 6, 2023
A crackdown on dissent has been escalating since 2016 under Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the government has largely succeeded in crushing opposition, activists say.
Since 2022, five environmental campaigners have also been detained in a crackdown on civil society groups.
(With newswires)
