"All countries need to work together to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. It's a global issue and a country alone can't tackle it," Dr Momen said welcoming the Chinese medical experts team.
The ten-member team of Chinese medical experts, who have the firsthand experience of containing the virus and treating the patients with remarkable success, arrived here with a bunch of medical equipment.
Foreign Minister Dr Momen and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming welcomed them at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon arrival.
The Foreign Minister said mutual cooperation and participation will be required in dealing with economic challenges in the post-COVID-19 period.
Noting Chinese support in dealing with coronavirus in Bangladesh, Dr Momen said China is working with much interest on Rohingya issue too.
He hoped that Bangladesh will move ahead with the support from China in resolving the Rohingya crisis.
Dr Momen said the relations between Bangladesh and Chile will be deepened in the coming days.
He said China showed success in controlling the coronavirus and other countries are following China while managing COVID-19 patients. "Even, it was China which came up first with the idea of maintaining social distancing."
First Foreign Medical Team
Chinese Ambassador Jiming said he believes it is the first medical team sent by the government of any foreign country to Bangladesh after the COVID-19 outbreak, consisting of 10 senior Chinese medical experts of various specialties relevant to treating the covid-19 patients.
In the next two weeks, he said, they will pay field visits in different hospitals and medical facilities, conduct in-depth clinical discussions with Bangladesh health officials and professionals, share experiences, and provide guiding technical advices on covid-19 treatment and control.
The Ambassador said the medical team marks another step further in China’s all-out support to Bangladesh.
Starting from February, China has provided Bangladesh with over 3.4 million surgical and N-95 masks, over 110,000 sets of personal protective equipment, and a large number of test kits, thermometers, ventilators, and sanitizers, to meet the most urgent needs of Bangladesh to contain COVID-19, he said.
The Ambassador said the Chinese Embassy has been actively engaged with the government and health experts of Bangladesh in experience sharing and information exchange.
"A pandemic such as COVID-19 again shows us that in today’s world no country could stand alone in a global crisis," he said.
The Ambassador said all must work together, and together we will success. "Mutual understanding and support between China and Bangladesh since the onset of the pandemic has shown the pragmatic cooperation of the two countries."
Close Partnership
With such a close partnership and strong belief, the Ambassador said, both countries will surely prevail over the pandemic in the short future.
On the evening of 20 May, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke on the phone.
The two leaders expressed appreciation for the mutual support between Bangladesh and China both before and during the COVID-19, reaffirmed their joint commitment to a coordinated global response to the pandemic, and pledged to further our cooperation in addressing the situation and areas beyond.
"This conversation is of high significance as it laid down the guidelines to advance our joint response in curbing the coronavirus as well as strengthening our strategic partnership of cooperation in a post-COVID-19 era," said Ambassador Jiming.
During the conversation, President Xi also emphasized that China was ready to help where it can in light of the actual needs of Bangladesh, including sending a medical expert team to Bangladesh.
"As a pair of true and time-honored friends, China and Bangladesh have been standing in strong solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19," said the Ambassador.
He said the Chinese side remains immensely grateful to the timely and invaluable support extended by the government and the people of Bangladesh, both materially and spiritually, when the epidemic first hit China.
He said in February, the Prime Minister wrote a "generous letter" to President Xi in an expression of sympathy and support to China, where she assured him: “the people and the government of Bangladesh are with the friendly people and the government of China to address the crisis”.
The team members already discussed and studied the appropriate measures and advice for Bangladeshi people, said the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.
The team is organized by the National Health Commission and consists of 10 respiratory physicians selected by the Hainan Provincial Health Commission, according to the officials at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.
Current Situation
Forty-two people died with coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours and the death toll now stands at 930 with a death rate of 1.36 percent, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Two thousand seven hundred and thirty-five people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours while the total number of infected has reached 68,504.
Some 14,507 have so far recovered.