Australia Warns Borders May Stay Closed Until Late 2022
3 minute read
Australia’s senior politicians are beginning to prep Australians for the news their borders may stay closed until 2022. This is despite the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccination in Australia and around the world. It comes as New Zealand pauses travel bubble flights from Sydney for 48 hours amid two community transmission cases of COVID-19 in Sydney.
The Australian Government is flagging border closures through to 2022. Photo: Qantas
“We recognise that if Australians want to be kept safe and secure,” Australian Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has told The Australian.
“Given uncertainties that exist not just in the speed of the vaccine rollout but also the extent of its effectiveness to different variants of COVID, the duration of its longevity and effectiveness, these are all considerations that mean we won’t be seeing borders flung open at the start of next year with great ease.”
An uncharacteristically indelicate exchange regarding a four-country alliance called the Quad , which includes India and the US, seems to have heated up the otherwise smooth Dhaka-Beijing diplomatic relations.
Even though the Quad, a US-led initiative, is not quite open to membership, considering that it was initiated particularly to contain China, its ambassador in Dhaka had said in a statement that Bangladesh should not join the initiative.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Jahangirnagar University International Relations Professor Shahab Enam Khan said Bangladesh should carefully observe how the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) along with global vaccine politics unfold, as these two factors will determine the strategic equations in and around the Indo-Pacific region in the coming months.
China has warned Bangladesh of substantial damage to relations if they join the Quad alliance
Dhaka:
China has warned Bangladesh against joining the US-led Quad alliance, saying that Dhaka s participation in the anti-Beijing club would result in substantial damage to bilateral relations.
The unusual warning from Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming came weeks after visiting Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe emphasied to Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid that Beijing and Dhaka should make joint efforts against powers from outside the region establishing a military alliance in South Asia and practising hegemonism . Obviously it will not be a good idea for Bangladesh to participate in this small club of four (Quad) because it will substantially damage our bilateral relationship, Ambassador Li said at a virtual meeting organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh on Monday.
Tuesday, 11 May 2021 06:53 PM MYT
The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison shakes hands with the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg after the swearing-in ceremony in Canberra August 24, 2018. Reuters pic
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SYDNEY, May 11 Australia’s government pledged billions in spending today to sustain an economic recovery from the Covid-19 slump that has blitzed even the most optimistic projections, a move that will keep public finances in the red for years to come.
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