بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Acceptance of Chinese Economic Colonialism Is a Harmful Granting of Supremacy to the Disbelievers
News:
On 26 June 2026, the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China published the “Joint Communique Between the People’s Republic of China and the People's Republic of Bangladesh” which mentioned in clause 6, “6. China will strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh in trade, e-commerce, industrial and supply chains, and investment, in order to upgrade its export capacity and jointly uphold the multilateral trading system. Bangladesh appreciated China for the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, and will foster a favorable environment for Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh.” (Source)
Comment:
China is a colonialist power which focusses on economic colonialism, whilst its cultural and military colonialism is not prominent, as in the case of its competitor, the United States. Nonetheless, it does not mean that agreements with China are not harmful to the Muslims. China leverages its huge industry capability and financial reserves to establish its supremacy over the economies of states within its region, including the Muslim states of Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Beijing has a narrow regional vision to build economic supremacy as a defensive buffer around it to protect what it considers “One China.” It is a new Great Wall of China built with dependencies of Muslim nation states upon Chinese finance and industry.
Thus, the rulers of Bangladesh have made a harmful mistake by agreeing to “foster a favorable environment for Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh.” The Chinese enterprises include its huge machine industry which allows dominance of strategic sectors of the economy, such as vehicles and military armaments. The Chinese enterprises also include its banks which use financial reserves to capture states in the riba (interest) debt trap, with room to acquire critical national assets as debt worsens, which has been seen most prominently in the case of Sri Lanka.
As for the policy that “China will strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh in trade, e-commerce, industrial and supply chains, and investment, in order to upgrade its export capacity and jointly uphold the multilateral trading system,” it amounts, at most, to Bangladesh providing raw materials and low-value commodities to Chinese industry and markets, whilst buying high value commodities from the Chinese industrial giant, such as computers, smart phones, vehicles and industrial machinery and their parts.
The leadership of Bangladesh must emerge from the pragmatic and narrow thinking of the Muslim states, after nominal independence from colonialism. They must not continue the legacy of low political thinking of the 560 "princely states" during the era of British colonialism. The British Raj directly ruled areas of critical importance, including those centered around ports and industrial bases, whilst leaving 42% of the land, and 25% of the population, in the hands of what it called “princely states” under local rulers. However, these local rulers considered British supremacy as an unchangeable reality and thought the maximum they can achieve is a semblance of sovereignty, concessions and favorable conditions. However, they brought suffering to their people just as people under direct British rule suffered, as a result of the British banking and industrial advantages. Then after nominal independence, the ruling elites of the Indian Subcontinent continued in this low level of political thinking in their relations with the American and Chinese colonialists, resulting in ongoing, endless suffering from poverty and economic hardship.
True independence means abandoning the failed thinking that latching onto a stronger power is the only way for nation building. It is not, it is the only way for a stronger power to become even stronger, whilst making the weak even weaker. True independence for Muslims depends on a radical method of political thinking based on the Shariah Law of Allah(swt). Islam does not permit believers to grant disbelievers a way of authority over them. Allah (swt) said,
[وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا]
“Allah does not grant the kafir a way for authority over the believers.” [TMQ Surah An-Nisaa 4:141]. Islam orders building of military capabilities, which depends on a focus upon heavy industry, including machine industry. Islam forbids riba (interest) as well as loans that harm the Muslims. Islam orders the unification of Muslims under one state, which pools the resources of Muslims, allows the strength of one region to compensate for the weakness in another region and closes the doors for dependence on disbelievers.
O Muslims of Bangladesh! You are a noble Muslim people, who have striven for Islam for centuries, with your minds, hearts and limbs. You were a major center for the Jihad against the British in 1857, striking terror within them that reached London. You were the intellectual spearhead for continual attempts to eject the British from the region, until they were forced to withdraw militarily. You remain as a defiant, energetic and creative people through centuries of devotion to Allah (swt). Do not allow the strengthening of Chinese colonialism, alongside American colonialism, which is direct and indirect through its proxy state, India. Hold fast to the Shariah of Allah (swt) and let it be your only guide you in your call and movements. Do not deny yourself the honor of being the first amongst Muslims to re-establish the Second Khilafah Rashidah (rightly guided Caliphate), for indeed you are capable, with the Nasr of Allah (swt).