Bangladesh: Chinese Development Finance Profile, 2000-2022
Date Published
Oct 10, 2025
Authors
Oshin Pandey, JulieAnn Sickell, Brooke Escobar
Publisher
Citation
Pandey, O., Sickell, J., and Escobar, B. (2025). Bangladesh: The Scale, Scope, and Composition of Chinese Development Finance. Williamsburg, VA: AidData at William & Mary.
Abstract
This country profile provides a detailed overview of the scale, scope, and composition of Chinese state-directed financing in Bangladesh from 2000 to 2022. It includes granular information on key trends in China’s loan and grant-financed commitments, its lending portfolio, ESG risks in its infrastructure projects, and contractual safeguards adoption and implementation.
From 2000 to 2022, China directed $21.4 billion in loan and grant-financed commitments for 155 projects in Bangladesh. Most of this financing was directed toward the energy and transport sectors, including large-scale power generation projects and upgrades to Dhaka’s transport infrastructure. A 2018 surge in financing reflected Beijing’s growing interest in cementing Bangladesh’s role as a Belt and Road hub in South Asia.
The insights in this profile are derived from AidData’s Global Chinese Development Finance Dataset, Version 3.0 and the sources referenced therein. Additional 2022 data collection is based on a forthcoming dataset version launching in November 2025.
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