Japan PM Travels to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka to Offset China Influence

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Dhaka on Saturday at the start of a three-day visit to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka aimed at offsetting China's mounting influence in South Asia.

Abe, who is visiting the region to boost economic and security ties, was greeted by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Dhaka airport.

The two were to hold talks later Saturday and on Sunday Abe will meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse in Colombo.

The tour follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Tokyo earlier in the week during which the two countries, who both have prickly relations with giant neighbour China, declared they would raise ties to a "new level".

Speaking to reporters before leaving Tokyo, Abe called Bangladesh and Sri Lanka "countries with a growing influence in economic and political domains".

"I hope to introduce the dynamism of both countries to Japan's economy by strengthening relations with them and engaging in top-level sales activities," said Abe, who is accompanied by 50 top corporate executives.

The trip is the first by a Japanese premier to Bangladesh in 14 years and Sri Lanka in 24 years.

In Dhaka, Abe was later due to address a forum of Japanese and Bangladeshi businessmen and hold talks with Hasina, Dhaka's foreign ministry said.

Bangladesh, which described Abe's tour as a "milestone" in relations, hopes to win Japanese investment for infrastructure projects including a railway bridge and a tunnel under the Brahmaputra river.

"This time what we want is investment," Bangladesh foreign minister A.H. Mahmood Ali said. "This visit is considered a milestone in our relations."

Bangladesh's premier visited Japan in May when Tokyo announced $6 billion in aid for Dhaka. The deal was a boost to Hasina, coming months after she won a disputed election marred by widespread fraud and an opposition boycott.

Dhaka last month announced Japan would lend $4 billion for an ambitious coal-fired power plant project, which includes a deep-sea terminal. Japan is already Bangladesh's largest bilateral donor and is a fast-growing export destination.

Bangladesh plans to set up an industrial park for Japanese investors, whose investment in the country is still far below sums extended by China or South Korea.

With Japan and Bangladesh competing for a non-permanent U.N. Security Council seat for the 2015-2016 term, Abe and Hasina will discuss how to defuse any dispute, local media reports said.

Japan's state aid agency has shown interest in building a deep-sea port in Bangladesh's south for which Dhaka earlier approached China. Financing of the proposed port is expected to be a key topic during talks between Hasina and Abe.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka lie along sea-lanes between the Middle East and East Asia. China has helped build ports in countries along the vital route.

In Colombo, Abe and Rajapakse aim to strengthen maritime territorial cooperation in the face of a more territorially assertive China, media reports said.

Japan is ready to provide patrol boats to help Sri Lanka bolster its maritime guard, according to the reports.