Dhaka [Bangladesh], May 12 (ANI): Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday reacted sharply to comments from China's ambassador warning against Dhaka's possible participation in the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad.
Bangladesh receives China-donated COVID-19 vaccines Xinhua | Updated: 2021-05-12 21:52
DHAKA Bangladesh on Wednesday received a batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by China.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming formally handed over the vaccines to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister Zahid Maleque at a ceremony at the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka.
A special aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force returned from Beijing with the vaccines and AD syringes early on Wednesday.
On the occasion, Foreign Minister Momen and Health Minister Maleque both thanked China for donating the vaccine to Bangladesh.
Maleque said the vaccines arrived at a time when Bangladesh is in dire need for vaccines. A friend in need is a friend indeed, he said.
Bangladesh Rebuffs China’s Threat Against Joining US-Led Quad
Bangladesh’s foreign minister on May 11 rejected remarks by the Chinese ambassador warning the South Asian nation not to participate in the U.S.-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue because it would damage bilateral relations.
The Quad is a four-nation Indo-Pacific alliance led by the United States, along with India, Japan, and Australia. Beijing considers the Quad a “small anti-Beijing club.”
“We are an independent and sovereign state,” Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen said at a May 11 press conference in response to the Chinese threat. “We decide our foreign policy. Any country can uphold its position. But we will take decisions considering the interest of people and the country.”
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, May 12
Xinhua
13 May 2021, 02:30 GMT+10
HONG KONG The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday approved a bill that requires public officers including District Council (DC) members to take an oath of upholding the Basic Law and swearing allegiance to the HKSAR. The new public offices bill, first brought to the legislature on March 17, will come into effect after its publication in the Gazette on May 21. (Hong Kong-District Councilors-Oath) - - - - BANGKOK Thailand reported a new daily record of 34 COVID-19 fatalities on Wednesday, taking the country s death toll to 486, with 1,983 new infections, according to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
China to support Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka to overcome COVID-19 impact
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Mirwais, the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen, the Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena held a video conference on joint response to COVID-19, and exchanged views on international and regional cooperation on pandemic response and post-COVID economic recovery.
The foreign ministers noted with satisfaction the concerted and productive efforts made by their Countries since the start of COVID-19 to combat the virus and promote economic recovery in the spirit of overcoming challenges through cooperation and mutual assistance.