Blue carbon opens new opportunities for China-Bangladesh cooperation

China and Bangladesh have an opportunity to expand cooperation in a field that is increasingly important to sustainable development and climate action — blue carbon ecosystems.

Over the past five decades, China and Bangladesh have built strong partnerships in trade, infrastructure, investment, education, and people-to-people exchanges. Looking ahead, cooperation in environmental protection and climate resilience could become a new area for growth in bilateral relations.

Bangladesh is home to the Sundarbans, the world's largest continuous mangrove forest and one of the country's most valuable ecological assets. Covering about 6,000 square kilometers within Bangladesh, the Sundarbans supports millions of livelihoods, protects coastal communities from storms and flooding, and serves as an important habitat for biodiversity, including the Royal Bengal tiger.

As a major blue carbon ecosystem, it also plays a critical role in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.

However, the Sundarbans faces growing threats from climate change and human activities. Rising sea levels, increasing salinity, reduced freshwater inflows, and more frequent extreme weather events are placing significant pressure on the mangrove's ecosystem. The decline of salt-sensitive species and the expansion of salt-tolerant vegetation are already reshaping the forest's ecological balance.

China's experience offers valuable lessons. After suffering significant mangrove losses in previous decades, China has successfully reversed the trend through large-scale conservation and restoration efforts. Mangrove coverage has expanded steadily, making China one of the few countries in the world to achieve a net increase in mangrove forest area.

The establishment of the International Mangrove Center and the implementation of the Mangrove Protection and Restoration Action Plan (2020–2025) demonstrate China's commitment to coastal ecosystem protection and carbon neutrality goals.

Against this backdrop, stronger cooperation between China and Bangladesh in blue carbon research would bring mutual benefits. Joint projects involving universities and research institutes could advance mangrove monitoring, remote sensing applications, ecological restoration technologies, and climate adaptation strategies.

Scientific exchanges, capacity-building programs, and collaborative research would also help improve coastal management and disaster resilience in the Bay of Bengal region.

Existing cooperation frameworks — including the Belt and Road Initiative, research fellowships, the Scientific Research Fund of the Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR, and academic exchange programs — provide practical platforms to support these efforts.

China's expertise in mangrove restoration and coastal ecosystem management can complement Bangladesh's rich natural resources and urgent adaptation needs.

As climate change becomes an increasingly shared challenge, environmental cooperation can serve as a new pillar of China-Bangladesh relations.

By working together to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems, the two countries can contribute not only to their own sustainable development, but also to broader regional and global climate goals.

The stable and constructive bilateral diplomatic relations over the past five decades offer an ideal moment to deepen this partnership and build a greener future for both nations.

The authors are Mohammad Mazbah Uddin and Chen Yining, researcher and deputy director with the Coast and Island Research Centre, Second Institute of Oceanography of Ministry at the Ministry of Natural Resources of China.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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