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| Ming (Type-035) class submarine (File Photo) |
By Zachary Keck
In a move certain to unnerve India, Beijing will sell Dhaka two Ming class submarines for $203.3 million.
Bangladesh has finalized a deal to purchase two Ming class submarines from China, according to a report in the local New Age newspaper.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina first announced that the country was interested in purchasing submarines back in January, as part of a broader plan to modernize its military. At the time, she did not specify which country Bangladesh would be purchasing the submarines from, but military officials told media outlets that it was in negotiations with China.
The New Age report said that the deal, which is waiting for final approval from the Finance Ministry, for the two submarines was worth $203.3 million. It would be paid by Bangladesh during the fiscal year 2017-2018, with the submarines being delivered in 2019. Seventeen Bangladeshi sailors are being trained to operate the submarines, the report said, presumably in China.
The New Age report said that the Bangladesh Navy had purchased land in Kutubdia Island where it planned to construct a submarine base.
Read the full story at The Diplomat