Former U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly planning an ambitious entry into Bangladesh through the development of a luxury resort on Saint Martin Island Bangladesh’s only coral island located in the Bay of Bengal. Sources suggest that discussions on the proposal took place during meetings in New York between Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Trump, as well as with his Asia advisor Sergio Gor. The plan envisions a “special zone for foreigners,” potentially transforming the 9-square-kilometre island into a Riviera-style destination managed by Trump-owned real-estate companies.
Reports indicate that Bangladesh’s interim government may lease the island to the United States for up to 99 years. With parliament currently suspended, such a decision could proceed without legislative approval, relying instead on military consent. This arrangement, both declared and undeclared, would give Washington a new maritime presence near key Indo-Pacific trade routes.
Strategically, Saint Martin lies just eight kilometres from Bangladesh’s mainland and close to the vital Strait of Malacca through which nearly 30 percent of global trade passes. Its location makes it an ideal node for maritime surveillance and logistics. Trump’s “Plan B” reportedly includes the development of a U.S. naval facility at Cox’s Bazar, about 120 kilometres east, where Chinese submarines are already docked under bilateral arrangements.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had repeatedly opposed any transfer of Saint Martin to foreign powers, warning against external pressure from both the Trump and Biden administrations. If the reported plan proceeds, it would mark a dramatic geopolitical shift placing the Bay of Bengal at the centre of the next phase of U.S. strategic engagement in South Asia.
