Newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen on Wednesday said he is concerned about broader Chinese influence in South Asia, stressing that they have a host of options available to try to help their partner militaries meet their capability needs. ‘You know, as I said in my hearing…I am concerned about broader Chinese influence in South Asia. I think the United States government has been very clear about that," he said while responding to a question during an interaction with a small group of journalists. He said the US and Bangladesh have strong military-to-military cooperation, and it has been growing stronger. During his nomination hearing, Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, a Republican, asked Christensen about what he described as Bangladesh’s growing military-to-military cooperation with China.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 21, 2026 17:04 UTC