Chinese envoy Yao Wen made waves on Monday after visiting an area close to the strategic Siliguri corridor in West Bengal. The visit was greenlit by the Bangladesh interim government for technical assessment of a project along the Teesta River. It also comes less than a year after Muhammad Yunus pitched for an “extension of the Chinese economy” while talking about the northeastern states of India.
According to reports, the Chinese official visited the project area in Rangpur along with Bangladesh water resources advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan. The official later said China was keen to begin implementation of the Teesta Master Plan as soon as possible. The river is a critical resource for districts on either side of the shared border, and efforts to finalise a water sharing strategy have repeatedly stalled over the years.
When Yunus targeted northeast India during China visit
The interim Bangladesh leader had sparked fury during a visit to China in March 2025 — invoking the north-eastern states of India while urging Beijing to ‘extend’ its economy. He also urged the Chinese government to establish an economic base within his country and insisted that Bangladesh was the “only guardian of the ocean” for the region.
“The seven states of India…eastern part of India — are called the Seven Sisters. They are a landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. We are the only guardians of the ocean for this region. So this opens up a huge possibility. So this could be an extension of the Chinese economy…” he had said during an event in the capital city.
Subsequent months also saw the Nobel Laureate repeatedly gifting foreign leaders a distorted map that showed India’s northeast region as part of Bangladesh. The presentation was being viewed by many as a deliberate choice — being chosen as a gift for Turkey and Pakistan amid strained ties with India.
What is the ‘chicken’s neck’ area?
The term refers to the narrow strip of land that connects the rest of India to the seven northeastern states and Sikkim. It is also referred to as the Siliguri Corridor and serves over 50 million people. The 20-22 km wide and about 60 km long land bridge is located in the northern part of West Bengal. It is bordered by Nepal to the west, Bangladesh to the south and Bhutan to the north. The so called ‘chicken’s neck’ is also close to Chumbi Valley in China.