Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) – Fifth Edition 2026

Name: Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) – Fifth Edition 2026
Start: 2026-10-03T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-10-05T00:00:00Z
Location: Dhaka

Oct 3–5, 2026Dhaka, BangladeshIn-person

Registration open

The Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) – Fifth Edition 2026 is scheduled to take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This event serves as a critical forum for discussing geopolitical and geoeconomic developments within the Bay of Bengal region. It brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, academics, and business leaders, to foster dialogue and collaboration on issues pertinent to regional stability and prosperity.

Committees & topics

Topics
Geopolitics and Strategic Competition in the Bay of Bengal · Technology and Information Power · Trade and Economic Connectivity · Climate Resilience and Human Security · Governance and Institutional Trust · Regional Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal · Investment Flows and Development Finance · Physical and Digital Connectivity

Why it matters

The Bay of Bengal is a strategically vital area, connecting South Asia with Southeast Asia and serving as a crucial maritime trade route. The BoBC – Fifth Edition 2026 provides a platform to address the complex interplay of regional dynamics, including economic integration, security challenges, and environmental concerns. Discussions at this event are instrumental in shaping policy approaches that can lead to enhanced cooperation and sustainable development across the littoral states.

The ongoing geopolitical shifts and the increasing interest from major global powers underscore the importance of such dialogues. The conference aims to facilitate a deeper understanding of these evolving dynamics and to identify pathways for collective action. By convening key actors in Dhaka, BGD, the BoBC contributes to strengthening regional partnerships and addressing shared challenges through informed discourse and strategic planning.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for the Bay of Bengal Conversation – Fifth Edition 2026 should undertake a comprehensive review of the current geopolitical landscape of the Bay of Bengal. This includes understanding the strategic interests of key regional players such as IND, CHN, and USA, as well as the roles of other significant littoral states like MMR, LKA, SGP, JPN, THA, MDV, NPL, and BTN. A thorough analysis of maritime security issues, trade routes, and ongoing infrastructure projects will be beneficial.

Familiarity with various frameworks for stakeholder analysis, such as "The Power-Interest Grid" and "Hidden Stakeholders," will be crucial for understanding the diverse perspectives and motivations of participants. Delegates should also consider "Engagement Strategies" to effectively contribute to discussions and foster collaborative outcomes. Given the regional focus, an understanding of "Dynamic Analysis" will aid in anticipating potential shifts in alliances and policy directions, ensuring a well-rounded and impactful participation in the conference.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 6 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Bangladesh

As the host nation, BGD seeks to promote regional stability and economic cooperation, positioning itself as a central player in Bay of Bengal initiatives.

Role in topic

BGD plays a pivotal role in facilitating regional dialogue and cooperation, leveraging its geographic position to foster connectivity and address shared challenges among littoral states.

India

IND views the Bay of Bengal as critical to its 'Act East' policy and maritime security interests, aiming to enhance its influence and connectivity in the region.

Role in topic

IND is a major regional power with significant economic and strategic interests in the Bay of Bengal, actively participating in initiatives to secure sea lanes and promote regional integration.

China

CHN has expanding economic and strategic interests in the Bay of Bengal, primarily through its Belt and Road Initiative, seeking to enhance trade routes and influence.

Role in topic

CHN's growing presence and investments in the region, particularly in port development and infrastructure, make it a key external actor whose activities significantly impact regional dynamics.

United States

USA maintains a strategic interest in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, including the Bay of Bengal, through security partnerships and diplomatic engagement.

Role in topic

USA's involvement focuses on maintaining a balance of power and promoting maritime security, often through partnerships with regional navies and diplomatic efforts to counter potential hegemonic influences.

Myanmar

MMR is a littoral state with significant natural resources and strategic coastline, navigating complex internal and external pressures.

Role in topic

MMR's internal political situation and its strategic location make it a crucial, albeit sometimes unpredictable, factor in regional security and economic development discussions.

Sri Lanka

LKA seeks to leverage its strategic location for economic development and maritime trade, balancing relations with various global and regional powers.

Role in topic

LKA's position along major shipping lanes makes it a critical maritime hub, influencing trade and security dynamics in the southern Bay of Bengal.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Geopolitics and Strategic Competition in the Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal has re-emerged as a contested maritime theatre as the broader Indo-Pacific becomes the central arena of great-power rivalry. Once a relatively quiet sub-region overshadowed by the South China Sea and the Persian Gulf, it now sits astride critical sea lines of communication linking the Malacca Strait to the Arabian Sea, carrying a substantial share of global energy and container traffic. The post-2017 revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the 2021 AUKUS pact, and China's expanding naval footprint through port investments in Hambantota, Kyaukpyu, and Chittagong have transformed the bay into a zone of overlapping strategic interests. The core dispute centres on competing visions of regional order: a U.S.- and Indian-led 'free and open Indo-Pacific' premised on rules-based maritime governance, versus a Chinese model emphasizing connectivity through the Belt and Road Initiative and bilateral security arrangements. Smaller littoral states — Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand — face mounting pressure to hedge, while the 2021 Myanmar coup and ongoing civil conflict have added a destabilizing land dimension. Today, naval modernization, dual-use port infrastructure, and intensified intelligence-sharing arrangements such as India–U.S. BECA and the Quad's Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative define the competitive landscape. The challenge for littoral states is to preserve strategic autonomy without becoming arenas for proxy contestation.

Key players

Technology and Information Power

South and Southeast Asia have become both consumers and shapers of a fragmenting global technology order. India has emerged as a leading exporter of digital public infrastructure — Aadhaar, UPI, and the India Stack — now being adapted in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and parts of Southeast Asia. Simultaneously, China's Digital Silk Road has deployed surveillance systems, undersea cables, and 5G networks across the Bay of Bengal littoral, while U.S. and European actors push competing standards under the Global Digital Compact adopted in 2024. The core contest concerns who sets the rules for cross-border data flows, AI governance, semiconductor supply chains, and platform regulation. Generative AI has sharpened concerns about election integrity in a region that held more than a billion voters' worth of elections in 2024, while state-aligned disinformation campaigns and recurring internet shutdowns — particularly in India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh — have raised serious questions about digital rights. The OHCHR's work on AI and human rights and the UN's nascent AI advisory mechanisms have given the debate an international legal scaffolding. Littoral states must now reconcile economic dependence on Chinese hardware, reliance on Western cloud and chip ecosystems, and growing aspirations to build sovereign digital stacks. The outcome will shape not only commerce but the information environment in which democratic accountability operates.

Key players

Trade and Economic Connectivity

The Bay of Bengal economies sit at the intersection of two of the world's most dynamic trade networks — South Asia and ASEAN — yet intra-regional trade remains strikingly low, hovering around 5–7% of total trade, compared with over 25% in ASEAN proper. BIMSTEC, founded in 1997, has long aspired to bridge this gap but has been hampered by political frictions, slow implementation of a free trade agreement first negotiated in 2004, and the prolonged paralysis of SAARC after 2016. The global trade environment has shifted markedly since the U.S.–China tariff war, COVID-era supply-chain shocks, and the 2022 Russia–Ukraine conflict. 'China-plus-one' strategies have channeled investment into Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India, while RCEP's entry into force in 2022 created the world's largest trading bloc — notably without India. Concurrently, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), the EU's CBAM, and rising industrial policy in advanced economies are reshaping the rules of market access. For Bay of Bengal states, the immediate questions are how to leverage supply-chain diversification, how to navigate carbon border adjustments that threaten textile and steel exports, and how to operationalize long-promised connectivity corridors such as the Kaladan, Trilateral Highway, and Matarbari deep-sea port.

Key players

Climate Resilience and Human Security

The Bay of Bengal is among the most climate-vulnerable regions on earth. It generates roughly 5–6% of the world's tropical cyclones but accounts for a disproportionate share of cyclone-related fatalities, owing to dense coastal populations in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta and the Irrawaddy delta. Cyclones Amphan (2020), Mocha (2023), and Remal (2024) underscored compounding risks: storm surge, salinity intrusion, glacial melt from the Hindu Kush–Himalaya, and sea-level rise threatening low-lying areas of Bangladesh, the Sundarbans, and the Maldives. These physical risks intersect with human security crises. Climate displacement is now a structural feature of the region, with millions internally displaced annually and cross-border movement — notably of Rohingya from Myanmar into Bangladesh since 2017 — exacerbated by environmental stress. UN General Assembly Resolution 76/300 (2022) recognized the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, but operationalizing it for climate-displaced populations remains unresolved, as does the question of loss and damage finance following the COP27 and COP28 agreements. The debate now turns to early-warning systems, regional disaster response under BIMSTEC and the AHA Centre, blue economy frameworks, and equitable access to adaptation finance — including the still-undercapitalized Loss and Damage Fund.

Key players

Governance and Institutional Trust

Across the Bay of Bengal littoral, governance institutions face a crisis of public trust. The past five years have witnessed Sri Lanka's 2022 economic collapse and the Aragalaya protests, Bangladesh's contested 2024 election and the July–August 2024 student-led movement that ousted the Hasina government, the persistence of military rule in Myanmar since 2021, and recurrent street unrest in Thailand and Nepal. Surveys by Asia Barometer and Edelman consistently show declining confidence in legislatures, judiciaries, and electoral commissions, while press-freedom indices have deteriorated across most regional states. The underlying drivers are interlinked: post-pandemic economic stress, inflation, perceived elite capture, weakening checks on executive power, and the corrosive effects of disinformation on public discourse. International benchmarks — V-Dem, Freedom House, the Universal Periodic Review at the UNHRC — have flagged democratic backsliding, even as governments invoke sovereignty against external scrutiny. The contestation extends to multilateral institutions themselves, with growing skepticism in the Global South toward IMF conditionality and the perceived politicization of UN processes. The agenda today centres on rebuilding state legitimacy through transparency, anti-corruption reform, judicial independence, and credible electoral processes — while balancing the competing pull of digital surveillance tools that promise efficiency but risk further eroding civil liberties.

Key players

Regional Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal

Formal regional cooperation in the Bay of Bengal is anchored in BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, established in 1997 and now comprising seven member states across South and Southeast Asia. It was conceived in part as a workaround for SAARC's India–Pakistan paralysis and was reinvigorated by the adoption of its Charter at the 2022 Colombo Summit. Yet BIMSTEC remains under-institutionalized: its Secretariat in Dhaka is small, the long-pending FTA is unfinished, and sectoral cooperation has produced uneven outcomes. The region overlaps with multiple competing or complementary frameworks — ASEAN, IORA, the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, the Quad, and China-led mechanisms such as the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. This institutional density creates both opportunity and fragmentation. Functional cooperation has gained traction in disaster management, counter-terrorism, and energy grid interconnection, with the BIMSTEC Energy Centre and joint military exercises representing modest progress. The present debate is whether BIMSTEC can become a credible delivery vehicle for connectivity, trade, and climate response, or whether bilateral and minilateral arrangements will continue to dominate. The Myanmar crisis poses a particularly acute test of whether the grouping can act coherently on issues of internal stability.

Key players

Investment Flows and Development Finance

Investment patterns across the Bay of Bengal have shifted dramatically over the past decade. Chinese outbound investment under the Belt and Road Initiative surged through the 2010s, financing Hambantota and Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka, the Kyaukpyu SEZ in Myanmar, and Padma Bridge components in Bangladesh — but has since moderated amid debt-sustainability concerns highlighted by Sri Lanka's 2022 default and Pakistan's recurring IMF programmes. In parallel, Japanese ODA through JICA, the U.S.-led Blue Dot Network and DFC, the EU's Global Gateway, and India's Lines of Credit have positioned themselves as alternative financiers emphasizing transparency and ESG standards. The macro-financial backdrop is challenging. UNCTAD data show FDI to South Asia volatile and concentrated heavily in India, while smaller littorals face elevated sovereign spreads, currency pressure, and constrained fiscal space. The G20 Common Framework for debt treatment has moved slowly, prompting calls — championed in ECOSOC and at FfD4 — for a UN-based sovereign debt mechanism. Climate finance commitments under the Paris Agreement, including the new collective quantified goal agreed at COP29, remain far below estimated regional needs. The key questions today concern blended finance for infrastructure, mobilization of domestic resources, the role of multilateral development bank reform under the Bridgetown Initiative, and whether new instruments — green bonds, debt-for-nature swaps, diaspora bonds — can fill the gap.

Key players

Physical and Digital Connectivity

Connectivity is the connective tissue of Bay of Bengal economic integration, yet remains structurally incomplete. Maritime connectivity has advanced with port development at Mongla, Matarbari, Chittagong, Sittwe, Trincomalee, Colombo, and the Andaman Islands, while submarine cable systems — SEA-ME-WE 6, 2Africa, and regional spurs — are reshaping digital backbone capacity. Land connectivity has lagged: the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, conceived in 2002, remains incomplete; the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project has been disrupted by conflict in Rakhine; and BBIN motor vehicle protocols await full operationalization. Energy connectivity has shown more progress, with cross-border electricity trade between India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh expanding, and proposals for a BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection under negotiation. Digital connectivity has accelerated through mobile-money corridors, fintech integration, and growing interoperability among digital public infrastructure stacks, though regulatory fragmentation persists on data localization and cross-border payments. The current debate weighs ambitious corridor plans — IMEC, the Asian Highway Network, regional rail — against geopolitical frictions, the Myanmar conflict's disruption of overland routes, climate-resilient design needs, and financing constraints. Decisions on standards, interoperability, and security of both physical and digital corridors will shape the region's economic geography for decades.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) – Fifth Edition 2026.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Trump's Economic Reset

Trump's Economic Approval Hits 30% Amid Iran

GOP Promotes Trump's Tax Savings on Deadline

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

The Power-Interest Grid

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Bangladesh October 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) – Fifth Edition 2026

Oct 3–5, 2026Dhaka, BangladeshIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Geopolitics and Strategic Competition in the Bay of Bengal · Technology and Information Power · Trade and Economic Connectivity · Climate Resilience and Human Security · Governance and Institutional Trust · Regional Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal · Investment Flows and Development Finance · Physical and Digital Connectivity

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 6 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Bangladesh

As the host nation, BGD seeks to promote regional stability and economic cooperation, positioning itself as a central player in Bay of Bengal initiatives.

Role in topic

BGD plays a pivotal role in facilitating regional dialogue and cooperation, leveraging its geographic position to foster connectivity and address shared challenges among littoral states.

India

IND views the Bay of Bengal as critical to its 'Act East' policy and maritime security interests, aiming to enhance its influence and connectivity in the region.

Role in topic

IND is a major regional power with significant economic and strategic interests in the Bay of Bengal, actively participating in initiatives to secure sea lanes and promote regional integration.

China

CHN has expanding economic and strategic interests in the Bay of Bengal, primarily through its Belt and Road Initiative, seeking to enhance trade routes and influence.

Role in topic

CHN's growing presence and investments in the region, particularly in port development and infrastructure, make it a key external actor whose activities significantly impact regional dynamics.

United States

USA maintains a strategic interest in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, including the Bay of Bengal, through security partnerships and diplomatic engagement.

Role in topic

Myanmar

MMR is a littoral state with significant natural resources and strategic coastline, navigating complex internal and external pressures.

Role in topic

MMR's internal political situation and its strategic location make it a crucial, albeit sometimes unpredictable, factor in regional security and economic development discussions.

Sri Lanka

LKA seeks to leverage its strategic location for economic development and maritime trade, balancing relations with various global and regional powers.

Role in topic

LKA's position along major shipping lanes makes it a critical maritime hub, influencing trade and security dynamics in the southern Bay of Bengal.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Geopolitics and Strategic Competition in the Bay of Bengal

Key players

Technology and Information Power

Key players

Trade and Economic Connectivity

Key players

Climate Resilience and Human Security

Key players

Governance and Institutional Trust

Key players

Regional Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal

Key players

Investment Flows and Development Finance

Key players

Physical and Digital Connectivity

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) – Fifth Edition 2026.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Trump's Economic Reset

Trump's Economic Approval Hits 30% Amid Iran

GOP Promotes Trump's Tax Savings on Deadline

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

The Power-Interest Grid

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Bangladesh October 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

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Roadmap for Trade, Growth and Economic Diplomacy: Conference 2026

International Conference on Violence, Conflict, and Global Governance

Understanding South Asian Geopolitics in the Context of Bangladesh

International Conference on Taxation, Innovation, and Economic Policy (ICTIEP-2026)

International Conference on Historical Political Analysis and Comparative Studies

International Conference on Historical Political Analysis and Comparative Studies (ICHPA)

Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

Roadmap for Trade, Growth and Economic Diplomacy: Conference 2026

International Conference on Violence, Conflict, and Global Governance

Understanding South Asian Geopolitics in the Context of Bangladesh

International Conference on Taxation, Innovation, and Economic Policy (ICTIEP-2026)

International Conference on Historical Political Analysis and Comparative Studies

International Conference on Historical Political Analysis and Comparative Studies (ICHPA)

Frequently asked questions