By Ashfaq Zaman

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The Rohingya people have endured one of the world’s most protracted, yet least visible, humanitarian crises. Nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in what were supposed to be temporary camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. They still have little prospect of returning to Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
But at a recent conference in Dhaka, the Rohingya people were, for the first time, given a voice. Their message was clear: they do not want more aid. They need to go home. China is well placed to help make that happen.
For years, international aid helped to maintain this stasis. But the recent funding collapse at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has left families with fewer rations and less access to humanitarian support. The conversation must move away from aid flows and towards a permanent solution.
Without a political solution that ensures their safe and dignified return to Myanmar, the crisis could trigger further unrest in the Bay of Bengal. This is where China has both the capacity and incentive to act. Rakhine state is not only central to Rohingya identity, but also to the interests of China’s economic and strategic development.
The Kyaukphyu deep-sea port, along with the oil and gas pipelines that traverse Rakhine, are integral parts of the Belt and Road Initiative. These projects are designed to enhance connectivity between China and the Indian Ocean, reducing reliance on the congested Malacca Strait.
Yet their long-term success depends on stability in Rakhine. Unrest and refugee outflows could continue to disrupt these projects. That’s why Rohingya repatriation is both a humanitarian and economic imperative.

Equally, my home country of Bangladesh cannot go on hosting a million refugees indefinitely. Our domestic revolution and the ratcheting international trade wars have already sent reverberations through our economy.
Regardless of our recent economic shocks, Bangladesh is still emerging as one of South Asia’s most dynamic economies with growing markets for infrastructure, technology and consumer goods. China is already a crucial trade partner. Facilitating the safe, long-term return of the Rohingya people could help to cement China’s role not only as an investor, but also as a force of diplomatic stability.
So what would a solution to the Rohingya crisis look like? After the high-level conference at the UN General Assembly this week, we must translate words into action. I propose the formation of a permanent commission that could broker the safe and steady return of the Rohingya people.
China is well placed to facilitate a permanent commission that includes Bangladesh, Myanmar’s State Administration Council, the United States, the UNHCR refugee agency and, critically, representatives of the Rohingya people. The mandate would be to design a phased plan for return, ensuring security guarantees, humanitarian protections and economic reintegration.
Economic investment in Rakhine would be a central pillar of such a plan. Infrastructure, schools, hospitals and livelihood programmes could create the conditions for safe cultural integration. This approach could provide both Myanmar’s local population and the Rohingya with the confidence that repatriation benefits all parties.
While repatriation will not be easy, history suggests it is possible. For example, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission could be the basis for a blueprint for how such repatriation could occur. Adapted to local realities, it could help Rakhine communities to build trust, acknowledge grievances and imagine a shared future.

China’s reputation as a development partner, combined with its principle of non-interference, gives it the credibility to facilitate such a commission. In doing so, Beijing could help to facilitate the settlement that has eluded the West.
The reduction of American aid highlighted waning US influence in the region. Despite this, a collaboration with the US would signal that China is committed to a managed rivalry that can still overcome humanitarian challenges. China has the opportunity to show that its commitment to stable prosperity is not limited to infrastructure and trade, but extends to resolving the human challenges that underpin regional security.
For the Rohingya, the only durable solution is to return to Rakhine with dignity, safety and opportunity. For Bangladesh, resolving the crisis is essential for national stability and economic development. For China, repatriation would safeguard belt and road projects, strengthen ties with neighbours and showcase a model of constructive regional leadership.
The West has provided stopgaps, not solutions. China now has the chance to show that real development is achieved through long-term strategy, not short-term bandages.