Yunus and U.S. Diplomat Converge at Chattogram Port: Strategic Nexus or Sovereign Surrender?

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

Chattogram Port—Bangladesh’s strategic maritime fulcrum—is drawing intensified international attention, as interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is poised to visit the facility on May 14, mere days after U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson’s discreet yet consequential inspection of the same site.

The back-to-back presence of two pivotal figures—one domestic, the other diplomatic—at the same sensitive location has ignited fierce speculation of a coordinated maneuver to entrench Western influence in Bangladesh under the guise of economic and humanitarian cooperation.

Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson’s May 6 visit to Chattogram Port, officially described as an inspection of U.S. exports like cotton, soybeans, animal feed, and metals, has raised eyebrows across political and public spheres.

While the U.S. Embassy portrayed the visit as a step toward enhancing trade efficiency, its timing—amid rising regional unrest and the controversial “humanitarian corridor” to Myanmar—has fueled suspicions of a deeper, more strategic agenda.

Chattogram, responsible for over 90% of Bangladesh’s trade, is now a focal point of geopolitical tension, with critics questioning whether Jacobson’s presence signals a broader push for U.S. influence in the region.

As the port becomes a crucial nexus for international interests, the visit appears far from a mere trade initiative, sparking concerns of U.S. entanglement in South Asia’s complex political landscape.

Now, Yunus’s scheduled arrival at the same port compound—specifically the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT-5)—has intensified suspicions that Bangladesh’s interim regime is facilitating a quiet but consequential recalibration of regional alignments.

He is set to meet senior port and shipping officials, trade leaders, and logistics stakeholders, ostensibly to discuss operational matters. But observers warn the true agenda may be far more intricate.

At the heart of the storm lies the proposed humanitarian corridor into Myanmar’s Rakhine State—officially designed to funnel UN aid to Rohingya communities but seen by many as a geopolitical gambit that aligns too neatly with U.S. strategic interests.

The corridor, which critics say was approved without public consultation or parliamentary oversight, risks transforming Bangladesh into a launchpad for U.S.-backed activities targeting Myanmar’s junta.

Jacobson’s presence at Chattogram—just as U.S. legislation like the BURMA Act of 2022 enables support to anti-junta forces such as the Arakan Army—appears anything but coincidental.

The Act permits non-lethal aid to Myanmar’s pro-democracy groups, and Washington’s growing interest in logistical hubs like Chattogram suggests a deeper strategy to counterbalance China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which includes heavy investments in Myanmar’s Kyaukphyu deep-sea port.

Yunus, heading a military-backed, unelected interim administration, is now perceived by growing numbers as a conduit for Western designs.

His visit to the same terminal recently inspected by Jacobson is drawing intense scrutiny, particularly as murmurs grow about the leasing of NCT operations to DP World, a UAE-based logistics conglomerate with alleged—though unsubstantiated—ties to U.S. strategic entities.

The proposed $1 billion deal, first floated under Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League but now accelerated under Yunus, has enraged port labor unions and nationalist factions.

They warn of job losses, revenue drainage, and creeping foreign control over one of Bangladesh’s most lucrative infrastructure assets, which generates over Tk 1,200 crore annually.

While there is no official confirmation, DP World’s strategic investments in key ports like Chattogram and initiatives to bolster regional trade routes strongly align with U.S. geopolitical objectives.

These moves, aimed at countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative and enhancing connectivity, hint at a tacit convergence of interests between DP World and U.S. strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific.

The convergence of Jacobson’s diplomatic foray and Yunus’s domestic inspection at Chattogram Port is more than a matter of optics—it is a reflection of an intensifying realignment of Bangladesh’s strategic posture.

The simultaneous presence of these two figures at the nation’s most vital trade gateway hints at a behind-the-scenes convergence of American interests and interim regime ambitions.

As ARSA and Arakan Army militants reportedly move across the porous border into Bandarban, and an unverified U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft—purportedly from Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base—quietly lands in Dhaka, speculation is mounting that the banner of humanitarian assistance may be concealing a deeper strategic push for influence in South Asia’s most volatile frontier.

A senior port official, requesting anonymity, remarked with grave concern: “Yunus is meticulously orchestrating the transfer of strategic control to the Americans, effectively placing Chattogram—and by extension, Bangladesh’s sovereignty—on a perilous edge.