China never intervenes in internal affairs of other countries: Chinese envoy

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen today said China never intervenes in internal affairs of other countries.

“A friend in need is a friend indeed. A certain foreign country claims itself to be Bangladesh’s friend and keeps talking about human rights, democracy and free and fair elections in Bangladesh. In the meantime, they are also imposing unilateral visa restrictions and even probable economic sanctions on Bangladeshi people,” the ambassador told reporters after attending the handing over ceremony of 700 sets of dengue test kits to Enam Medical College and Hospital in Savar, reports our local correspondent.

” China never intervenes in internal affairs of other countries. Instead, we want to help Bangladesh achieve greater economic success and improve the livelihood of local people. Who is the genuine friend of Bangladesh? The people have the say,” he said.

Earlier, during the handing over ceremony, he said China will always stay with Bangladesh in critical situations.

“President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government are deeply concerned by the dengue epidemic in Bangladesh and announced that China would provide 25 million RMB ($3.5 million) in anti-dengue aid to Bangladesh.

“For that today, the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh is handing over 700 sets of dengue test kits to Enam Medical College and Hospital, which will meet the demand for tests of over 18,000 people. This marks only a starting point, and there will be more anti-dengue aid on a larger scale coming from China in a few days,” said the ambassador.

“With our joint effort in mitigating the current dengue surge, the bond of friendship between the two countries and peoples would be further enhanced,” Ambassador Yao said.

The envoy also said that China was committed to working with Bangladesh in addressing public health challenges, a fact proven by the countries’ joint fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This year by far, we have witnessed the severest dengue epidemic in Bangladesh’s history, causing grief to thousands of families while exerting unbearable pressure on the local hospital system,” Ambassador Yao said.

He expressed his deepest sympathy for those who died of the disease and his sincerest condolences to their family members. “I salute with the highest respect the doctors and medical workers who have fought sleeplessly for months. You have saved the lives of many. Your hard work is highly appreciated,” he said.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman, who was present at the event, said, “President Xi Jinping assured our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of cooperation in the fight against dengue. These dengue test kits are being provided to Enam Medical College Hospital for the first time, with more distributions to follow at various hospitals.”

Regarding distribution at the grassroots, he said: “We have a policy in place for distributing such aid to private hospitals. Whether it is free or with a fee will be determined later, as no decision has been made yet.