DHAKA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China and Bangladesh are witnessing progress in their joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said Monday.
Li made the remarks during a virtual interaction on Monday with members of Bangladesh's Diplomatic Correspondents Association, with a gift of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines set to arrive in Bangladesh on May 12th.
The vaccine aid arrives "just in time," Li said, adding that "it is the latest outcome of China-Bangladesh anti-pandemic cooperation, which again shows that our two peoples are in the same boat, and we will stand with each other till the end of this battle."
"The virus is our common enemy, and cooperation is the only way out," he said.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, the two countries have come a long way in the common fight against the pandemic, the ambassador said, calling the anti-pandemic cooperation "close and effective."
As a densely-populated country, Bangladesh has witnessed a prompt decrease of daily new cases in the second wave of COVID-19, from around 7,000 a month ago to around 1,000 Monday, Li said.
China and Bangladesh have been working to implement a high-level bilateral consensus on fighting COVID-19 through multiple telephone and written exchanges, and mutual support, according to Li.
The ambassador mentioned in particular Bangladesh's support for China when it was hit hardest by the virus, with a letter of condolence sent and medical supplies donated, "including 1 million gloves, 5 million masks, 100 thousand hand sanitizers and tens of thousands of pieces of surgical attire." he mentioned.
In response, when Bangladesh was battered by COVID-19, the "public and private sectors of China, local Chinese groups and associations as well as the Chinese government both at the central and local level, have provided large quantities of medical supplies and essential goods to the government and people of Bangladesh," including the country's one-and-only foreign medical team on COVID-19 so far, which is from China, Li added.
"China and Bangladesh have stayed in touch regarding vaccine cooperation, including through clinical trials, bilateral assistance, commercial purchases and local production, some of which will materialize very soon," Li said.
Meanwhile, the diplomat said that China and Bangladesh have been champions of multilateralism, humanitarianism and international collaboration at the regional and multilateral levels, an example of which would be the foreign ministers video meeting on the COVID-19 response held among China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on April 27th.
"China's dedication to international vaccine cooperation is a reflection of its belief in building a community with a shared future for mankind," said Li. Enditem
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