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[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The conflict between the United States and China over Bangladesh's potential membership in the Quad is coming to the surface. The Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh publicly announced opposition to Bangladesh joining the Quad, sparking controversy over interference in internal affairs. China is reportedly competing with India by conducting 'vaccine diplomacy' in Bangladesh while wary of its Quad membership. This is interpreted as a concern that if diplomatic isolation in South Asia intensifies, the Indian Ocean trade routes, a major export-import gateway, could be blocked.

According to foreign media including the Times of India on the 11th (local time), Li Jiming, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, said at an event hosted by the local Foreign Correspondents' Association, "The Quad was designed to counter China, and that is why Japan joined the Quad," adding, "We want Bangladesh not to participate in the Quad in any form."

The Bangladeshi government immediately issued a statement condemning it as interference in internal affairs. Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abdul Momen emphasized in the statement, "We have never been invited to the Quad, and the decision to join is a matter for Bangladesh to decide independently," and "We are an independent sovereign nation and determine our own foreign policy." This expressed displeasure at the Chinese ambassador's unusually intrusive remarks.

The U.S. State Department also criticized China, stating that Bangladesh's sovereignty must be respected. Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said at a press briefing that day, "We are paying attention to the remarks of the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh," and "Bangladesh's sovereignty and its right to independently determine its foreign policy must be respected."

The Chinese government, through state media, is instead criticizing both the U.S. and India. On the same day, the Chinese state-run Global Times emphasized, "The U.S. and India claim that China is using Bangladesh as part of the so-called 'String of Pearls strategy' to dominate the Indian Ocean, but China has no intention of using Bangladesh beyond economic cooperation." Since 2016, China has been promoting a $30 billion Belt and Road Initiative (land and maritime Silk Road) project with Bangladesh, concurrently constructing pipelines, ports, and railways.

China's wariness of Bangladesh joining the Quad has deepened recently as it competes with India in vaccine diplomacy, a core member of the Quad. At the end of last month, the Chinese government announced it would provide 500,000 doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh free of charge and plans to supply an additional 40 to 50 million doses. Bangladesh had previously agreed to receive vaccines from India, but as India's COVID-19 outbreak worsened, it accepted China's vaccine support.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.