China has warned Bangladesh in opposition to becoming a member of the US-led Quad alliance, saying that Dhaka’s participation within the anti-Beijing “club” would lead to “substantial damage” to bilateral relations. The provocative remarks by China’s Ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming was described by Bangladesh’s international minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday as “very unfortunate” and “aggressive”.
“We are an independent and sovereign State. We decide our foreign policy,” he informed reporters right here, a day after Li made the remarks. “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 mentioned at a digital assembly organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh on Monday.
Momen known as the ambassador’s remark “very unfortunate” and “aggressive”, including that he by no means heard such feedback from any Chinese diplomat earlier than. We did not anticipate such behaviour from China, he mentioned.
Momen additionally known as the ambassador’s remark “irrelevant” and an “advanced one”, including that Bangladesh had been following a “non-aligned” and “balanced” international coverage and the nation would determine what to do in keeping with that precept. A senior Bangladesh international ministry official, preferring anonymity, mentioned Dhaka has up to now has not expressed in regards to the Quad whereas no one both approached Bangladesh to be part of the platform and due to this fact the Chinese envoy’s feedback appeared “irrelevant”.
The international minister mentioned any nation might specific its place or views and being the consultant of Beijing the Chinese ambassador might disseminate what his nation wished. He mentioned that when Chinese defence minister Gen. Wei Fenghe throughout his go to to Dhaka final month defined Beijing’s perspective in direction of the Quad when “we (Bangladesh side) listened to them but didn’t make any comment.
Gen. Wei told Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid that Beijing and Dhaka should make joint efforts against powers from outside the region establishing a “army alliance” in South Asia and practising “hegemonism”. Quad is a small group of elites working against China, Ambassador Li said on Monday.
Initiated in 2007, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Quad for short, is an informal grouping of the US, India, Australia and Japan. Quad says it is only for economic purposes and security and so on. But that’s not true. We know that Quad is aimed at China, the envoy was quoted as saying by BDNews24.com news portal and other newspapers.
Japan, together with the US, has stated it very clearly – they are participating in [Quad] because of China, Li said. Li described the Quad as a “narrow-purposed” geopolitical clique, and Bangladesh should not join it as the country will not derive any benefit from the initiative.
“History has proved repeatedly such partnership certainly damages our neighbours’ personal social, financial growth and folks’s well-being,” Li was quoted as saying by the UNB news agency. China has vehemently opposed the formation of the Quad with a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman emphasising in March that exchanges and cooperation between countries should help expand mutual understanding and trust, instead of targeting or harming the interests of third parties.
The Quad member countries have resolved to uphold a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the strategically vital region. The first summit of the Quad leaders was hosted by US President Joe Biden on March 12 and the virtual meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
The four Quad leaders have vowed to strive for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion, sending an clear message to China against its aggressive actions in the region. “The (Chinese) ambassador’s remark appeared slightly ‘provocative’, which we couldn’t welcome,” said a senior foreign ministry official here said, preferring anonymity but added that it could a be Beijing’s strategy to make known its attitude towards the grouping.
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