A Chinese official lodged a complaint with South Korea's ambassador to China, in a tit-for-tat move after Beijing's envoy to South Korea was summoned last week over his comments accusing Seoul of tilting toward the United States. Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong expressed dissatisfaction with Seoul's response to last week's meeting between Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming and a South Korean opposition leader, according to a statement Sunday from China's Foreign Ministry. Also Read: South Korea, US troops to hold massive live-fire drills near border with North Korea Nong said it was Xing's duty to meet with different people in South Korea and he hoped Seoul would reflect on the relationship between the two countries and work with China to promote healthy and stable ties, the statement added. The diplomatic row between China and South Korea comes amid fierce competition between Washington and Beijing for global influence. South Korea, whose economy depends greatly on exports of computer memory chips and other technology products, has struggled to strike a balance between the United States, its decades-long military ally, and China, the biggest buyer of its goods. On Friday, South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin warned Xing over his "senseless and provocative" remarks made during a meeting with South Korean Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, a key rival of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeo. Also Read: US confirms China has had a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019 In the meeting last week, Xing accused Yoon's government of leaning excessively toward Seoul's treaty ally, the U.S., and damaging its relations with China. Xing said South Korea was entirely to blame for the "many difficulties" in bilateral relations, citing its growing trade deficit with China, which he attributed to "de-Chinaization" efforts, apparently referring to actions by South Korean companies to shift their supply chains away from China. Also read: World leaders warn China and North Korea on nukes as Ukraine's Zelenskyy travels to G7 summit His comments quickly drew ire from Seoul, which accused Xing of violating diplomatic protocols and interfering with South Korean domestic politics.

President Abdul Hamid on Tuesday received credentials from the new ambassadors of Turkey and the Philippines to Bangladesh in the evening. Press secretary Joynal Abedin briefed the reporters after the meeting.  Ramis Sen of the Republic of Turkey and Leo Tito L. Ausan Jr. of the Republic of the Philippines presented their credentials. Appreciating Bangladesh's ties with the two countries, Hamid urged them to play an important role as envoys particularly to enhance trade and economic relations for mutual benefit. Hamid also hoped that the bilateral relations with the countries will further be expanded during their respective assignments here. Also Read: Prevent corruption in every sector: President to ACC Referring to the losses in the recent earthquakes in Turkey, the President again conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family members and said Bangladesh would always stay beside the government and people of Turkey at all regional and international platforms as very faithful and old friends in days to come. On the Rohingya issue, the President expressed his gratitude to the Turkish government and its people for their support in this connection. Later, during the meeting with the Philippines ambassador, the President mentioned that the Philippines government and its people provided heartfelt support to the 1971 Liberation War and subsequently it is one of the countries which recognized Bangladesh after the Liberation War at the beginning stage. Terming the bilateral relations between the two countries very excellent, Hamid urged the Philippines government to explore the untapped potential areas in bilateral trade and investment, including pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, light engineering and jute products etc. The two sides can also explore cooperation in disaster management, health care and IT sectors, the President added.  President Hamid also requested the Philippines government to support Bangladesh’s application for ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partnership.  He assured the envoys of his all-out cooperation in discharging their duties in Bangladesh in cementing further Bangladesh relations with the countries. Praising the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, the ambassadors told the President that they would provide their possible all-out cooperation to Bangladesh government during their respective assignments here. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, secretaries concerned and high officials to the President, among others, were present. Earlier on their arrival at Bangabhaban, a contingent of the horse-mounted President Guard Regiment (PGR) offered the ambassadors guards of honour as part of the ceremony. The national anthems of the respective countries were also played by the army band and the Ambassadors made a round of inspection of the guard of honour.    

Ambassador of Bangladesh to Finland Mehdi Hasan has highlighted Dhaka's priorities with Finland in line with the Vision 2041 to become a developed and smart nation by that time. He has recently presented his credentials to the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö at the Presidential Palace. The ambassador was received by  President Sauli Niinistö for formal audience, according to a message received here on Friday. The Bangladesh ambassador conveyed the greetings of President and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to the President and people of Finland. In response, the President conveyed the greetings of the people and government of Finland to the President and Prime Minister of Bangladesh. During the audience, the Finnish president expressed satisfaction over the bilateral relations between the two countries and appreciated the role of the Government of Bangladesh in poverty alleviation and socio-economic development of Bangladesh. Read more: Palak urges Japanese IT entrepreneurs to invest more in Bangladesh The ambassador highlighted the priorities of the government of Bangladesh in line with the Vision 2041 to become a developed and Smart nation by 2041. The Ambassador also briefed the President different aspects of bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and Finland with particular focus on sectors of trade and investment, possible manpower export, collaboration in education, IT, technology transfer, climate change, green transition etc. He also briefed the President about Rohingya issue and requested Finland to take meaningful measures so that Myanmar authorities take sincere and visible steps to create conducive environment in Rakhine State ensuring their safe, sustainable and dignified return to their homeland. The President wished Bangladesh ambassador a successful tenure. During the ceremonies, Bangladesh ambassador was accompanied by Second Secretary Shah Md Ashraful Alam Mohon.

South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has said South Korea can and will be the best partner for Bangladesh in developing the modern metro system in the second largest city of Bangladesh. "For Bangladesh to achieve its grand dream of becoming an advanced country by 2041, the face of the city street should be changed. And the Chattogram MRT project after the Dhaka MRT project will be what Bangladesh needs urgently," he said. The Ambassador said Korean companies such as Hyundai and Daewo have ample experience and world's top technology in constructing rail and subways not only in Korea but also around the world. Hyundai alone participated in the 14 MRT or metro projects in seven countries. The Ambassador was speaking at the Kick-off ceremony of the Chattogram Transport Master Plan and Preliminary Feasibility Study of the Chattogram MRT. "And Korea is very happy to be a partner of Bangladesh in this very significant project for the future of this country. I am confident that the Korean government and the Korean companies participating in this project will not disappoint you," said the envoy. "I am sure that through this partnership, Chattogram will not remain just the gateway to Bangladesh But it will be the engine of Bangladesh and Bangladesh’s glorious economic development," he added. Read more: Bangladesh, S Korea bilateral trade reach record high crossing USD 3 billion in 2022 During the course of implementing this project, Bangladesh will work with a number of Korean experts, companies and agencies with world top level. The Korean experts will share their knowledge, technology and know-how which will be crucial in developing and managing the modern urban metro system in Bangladesh. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader joined the function virtually. Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and KOICA's Young-Ah Doh were present. For Bangladesh, the Ambassador believes that the Chattogram MRT project will be the next big thing that shows how Bangladesh is advancing toward its goal of becoming an advanced economy by 2041, after the opening of the Padma Bridge and the Dhaka MRT last year, and the Karnaphuli Tunnel which will be inaugurated soon.

South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun paid a courtesy call to Tofazzel Hossain Miah, new principal secretary to prime minister Tuesday. Ambassador Lee congratulated Tofazzel for "taking on a crucial duty." They exchanged views on the current status of their countries' partnership and the way forward to nurture it in a mutually beneficial way. The envoy and the principal secretary were on the same page that 2023 is the high time to take the partnership to a new height as South Korea and Bangladesh celebrate 50 years of their diplomatic ties. Also, Ambassador Lee Jang-keun paid a courtesy call to Toufique Hasan, the new director general of the East Asia and Pacific Wing of the foreign ministry Monday. They discussed a wide range of issues between the two countries to further boost the Korea-Bangladesh relationship. Namely, the two sides agreed to closely work together in 2023 to build up momentum in bilateral relations as South Korea and Bangladesh celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Read more: Record 5,891 Bangladeshi workers went to South Korea in 2022

Bangladesh Ambassador to Switzerland Sufiur Rahman presented his credentials to President Alan Berset of Swiss Federal Council at the Federal Palace in Bern on Tuesday. The Ambassador was taken to the palace by a motorcade and a guard of honour was given. A brief discussion on partnership between the two countries was also held. Ambassador Sufiur conveyed greetings of Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Swiss president. Read more: New Chinese envoy presents credentials to President Hamid Recalling his tour to Bangladesh in 2018, the Swiss President Alan lauded recent economic progress of the country and thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for sheltering forcibly displaced Myanmar’s Rohingyas, according to a message received Ambassador Sufiur called upon the international community including the Switzerland government to play a strong role in repatriating the Rohingya nationals to their country safely. Highlighting the role of the European country in development of Bangladesh over the past decades, he put up the need for transforming the existing bilateral relationship to a full partnership for socio-economic development. He requested the Swiss president to boost cooperation between the two countries to face impacts of climate change and develop human resources through exchanging professional knowledge. Hoping for investment from Switzerland to Bangladesh, the ambassador said the amount of bilateral business is now $1billion while developed technologies and modern gears of Switzerland are used in several economic sectors of the country. The Swiss President Alan informed that his country’s businesspeople are keen to invest in Bangladesh. Read more: New Japanese Ambassador presents credentials to President He urged the Bangladesh ambassador to work on expanding the bilateral relationship especially on economic and cultural sides.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam told the US Thursday that ambassadors "need to understand the political history of Bangladesh" before making any public statement. He had a telephone call with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in the evening. The deputy secretary and state minister discussed mutual priorities in bilateral relations. Shahriar and Sherman also talked about the issues of mutual commitment to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961. The state minister said Bangladesh is fully committed to ensuring the security and safety of the diplomatic community in Bangladesh. The ambassadors would continue to receive adequate security details, as always, he added. Sherman mentioned her several visits to Bangladesh and congratulated Shahriar on Bangladesh's victory at the recent United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) election and expressed satisfaction over supporting each other at the international forum. This telephone call with the state minister was scheduled for December 12 but was later rescheduled. Read more: Shahriar, Sherman talk elections, safety and security of US embassy personnel

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun on Wednesday said the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties will be a "springboard" to take Bangladesh-South Korea relations to a new height. Stressing that 2023 will be a milestone to elevate Bangladesh-South Korea partnership to a new height with a series of events, Ambassador Lee wished "wide and active participation" of the citizens of the two countries. "Let’s celebrate it together, let’s make it together and let’s work together for the brighter future of the Korea-Bangladesh ties," he said. The Ambassador was speaking at an event unveiling the 50th anniversary logo which signifies the friendship between Bangladesh and South Korea.  Read more: Dhaka, Seoul to explore untapped potential for brighter future: Ambassador The government of the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh unveiled the official logo for the 50th anniversary of Korea-Bangladesh diplomatic relations in 2023 at the award-giving ceremony of the logo design contest at the premise of the Korean Embassy. Through this event officially a year-long celebration of the 50th diplomatic anniversary began.  Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, joined the occasion as the chief guest and congratulated the winners. Saber Hossain Choudury, MP,  Ryu Young-oh, President of the Korean Community in Bangladesh, among others, were present. Korea recognized the newly independent Bangladesh in May 1972 and established consular relations in September 1973 and finally diplomatic relations in December 1973. "It is from today that we'll start the year-long celebration of our diplomatic anniversary. There will be many programs and events for the next one year to celebrate our anniversary. Today this ceremony is the start and the first official ceremony for the celebration," said Ambassador Lee. Sharing the three goals or wishes he is having in mind to celebrate this diplomatic year, the envoy said, "First, I wish to document the story and history of our relations during the past five decades." He hoped that this anniversary is not just for the government but for all the people of Korea and Bangladesh. "I do wish that all Bangladesh and Korean people will actively join in our celebration. And it is the very reason why we have implemented this logo design contest," he said. The Ambassador said he is planning to work closely with the Korean community in Bangladesh in line with the celebration. "Already, the Korean community in Bangladesh declared the first week of March as Korean Week and plans to host several celebration events. There will be K-pop performances, a business fair and Korea Cup Golf Tournament," he said. Read more: South Korea opens infrastructure cooperation center in Dhaka

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Kumar Verma on Tuesday said there is a great degree of commitment from the leaders of the two countries - Bangladesh and India - to take the relations to newer heights. "India attaches top priority to its relations with Bangladesh. For us it is neighbourhood first; but in the neighbourhood too, it is Bangladesh first," he said. The High Commissioner said the bilateral relationship today is truly multifaceted and complementing each other’s national development. "Our cooperation covers not only traditional areas like trade, commerce, development partnership, security and border management but also newer areas such as clean energy, IT, space and so on," he said. The Indian High Commissioner was speaking at a reception cum cultural evening marking the "Maitri Diwas 2022" held at Kurmitola Golf Club. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq spoke as the chief guest. The High Commissioner said the Liberation of Bangladesh changed the political map of South-Asia. "But it also changed our ideological map: your freedom proved beyond doubt that the common bonds of culture, civilization, and language are what fundamentally connect people closer to each other than anything else." He also said, "Your Liberation struggle also brought out the inevitability of the victory of truth and justice over brutality and oppression." The High Commissioner said the friendship between the two countries is rooted in the shared sacrifices of the Liberation War and guided by the values, ideals and the visions espoused by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "With our soldiers having shed blood together with the Muktijoddhas, the bonds we share are eternal and will always stand the test of time," he said. India had stood by the people of Bangladesh in 1971 and will stand ready to walk together with them in future as well, on the road to greater prosperity and success, said the Indian envoy. Read more: Bangladesh always gets highest priority from India: High Commissioner tells PM "We have made important achievements in our partnership, especially in the last decade. We remain committed to do more to build on the foundation of our friendship and our shared history," Verma said. "As we do so, we must also ensure that our future generations imbibe our shared history and preserve the legacy of 1971 to make our partnership irreversible," he added. Doing so would be a truly fitting tribute to the millions of martyrs who gave all that they had for the future of this country, he said.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming has said China is ready to join hands with the international community, including member states of the IORA, to contribute to global development, shoulder the responsibilities for unity and progress, and create a better future for the world. He stressed that in face of various risks and challenges, President Xi Jinping has put forward the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, offering Chinese solutions and Chinese wisdom to world peace and development. Read more: IORA ministers meet Thursday, Momen for making the best use of sea Ambassador Li attended the 22nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers meeting held in Dhaka on Thursday. This meeting, under the theme of "Harnessing the Opportunities of the Indian Ocean Sustainably for Inclusive Development", discussed the cooperation in COVID-19 response and economic recovery, trade and investment, the blue economy, climate change, disaster mitigation and pollution prevention and marine security, and reached broad consensus on further deepening cooperation within the IORA and building a prosperous and stable Indian Ocean. The IORA's Chair Bangladesh, 23 member states, including the United Arab Emirates, India, Australia, South Africa, and France, as well as ten dialogue partners such as China, the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea attended the meeting. Ambassador Li  participated in and addressed the meeting on behalf of China. He said that as an important economic cooperation organization in the region, the IORA has been committed to strengthening capacity building and promoting solidarity and cooperation among member states and contributing to the lasting stability and sustainable development of the region. Read more: Even after over 2 decades, IORA market not fully explored by member states: Momen As a dialogue partner country, China has always attached importance to the status and role of the IORA, actively participated in various IORA activities and continuously deepened the practical cooperation with the IORA and its member states, he said.