DHAKA—Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has proposed to China the creation of an independent Rohingya state in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The proposal was put forward during a meeting with a visiting delegation from the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Dhaka on Sunday, according to a statement issued by Jamaat.
No comment from the visiting Chinese political party delegation was available following what the Jamaat termed a “party-to-party” meeting.
The three-member Chinese delegation was headed by Peng Xiubin, director general of the Bureau of Southeast and South Asian Affairs of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC).
The delegation also met several other major political parties and Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials.
The Jamaat delegation was headed by Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.
Following the meeting, Taher told reporters that around 1.1 million to 1.2 million Rohingya refugees currently living in Bangladesh were enduring “inhumane conditions,” and that merely providing humanitarian aid was not a sustainable solution.
“We have proposed establishing an ‘Independent Arakan State’ in the Rohingya-majority area to ensure their repatriation and rehabilitation,” Taher said.
He emphasized that Jamaat sought China’s support because of Beijing’s close ties with Myanmar’s military-led government. According to Taher, the CPC representatives assured them that the proposal would be communicated to Chinese authorities.
Since November 2023 the Myanmar junta has lost control of most of Rakhine State to the ethnic armed organization the Arakan Army, which has seized 14 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships as well as Paletwa Township in neighboring Chin State.
Ashfaque Ronnie, a UK-based researcher and regional conflict analyst, told The Irrawaddy, “The proposal reflects not only a deep misunderstanding of Myanmar’s complex political and ethnic realities but also a dangerously naive view of how sustainable political solutions are built.”
“Both Rohingya and Rakhine communities have lived in Arakan [Rakhine] for centuries, often in complex and intertwined ways. Any durable and just resolution must recognize the rights, identities and aspirations of all communities in the region,” he said, adding, “Attempting to build a future based on the exclusion of one group over another disregards these historical realities and risks replicating the very dynamics of marginalization that have contributed to instability in the first place.
“Proposing an ethnically exclusive state ignores the broader context of Myanmar’s intricate political landscape, where ethnic diversity is deeply woven into territorial and governance structures.”
He observed that such oversimplifications do a disservice to the Rohingya cause, distract from serious efforts toward political inclusion, and mislead public opinion at a time when sober, informed engagement is more necessary than ever.
“While the role of international actors, including China, can be important in facilitating peace and political solutions, durable outcomes must be rooted in local realities, not external prescriptions detached from the ground,” he said.
In August 2017, over 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State due to a brutal military crackdown, joining hundreds of thousands already in Bangladesh from previous waves of displacement.
The influx created the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
The meeting also touched on broader bilateral issues. Jamaat leaders urged China to invest in major infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, including the Teesta Barrage, a second Padma Bridge, and a proposed deep-sea port. Regional security concerns were also discussed.
