Bangladesh: Chinese Development Finance, 2000-2023

This country profile provides a detailed overview of the scale, scope, and composition of Chinese state-directed financing in Bangladesh from 2000 to 2023. It includes granular information on key trends in China’s loan and grant-related official commitments, its lending portfolio, ESG risks in its infrastructure projects, and contractual safeguards adoption and implementation. From 2000 to 2023, China provided 100 grant-financed commitments and directed $19.9 billion via 67 loans issued 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 China's Global Loans and Grants Dataset, Version 1.0 and the sources referenced therein.