Daily Observer: China floats 3 proposals on COVID -19 cooperation for SA

27.04.2021:
China on Tuesday proposed three proposals including setting up a “Covid Emergency Medical Storage Facility” for five South Asian nations including Bangladesh at a Beijing-led
foreign minister level virtual meeting among the nations.

“At the meeting, we laid emphasis on cooperation and partnership (on COVID-19),” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told media at a briefing after the meeting at his
residence in the capital.

Apart from setting up the medical storage facilities, Momen said, China also proposed for building a development center to deal with post-Covid poverty and an e-Commerce
Forum for boosting to the South Asian business.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi invited his counterparts of five South Asian countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan – in the virtual meeting.

Momen said Dhaka proposed for inclusion of oxygen supplies along with vaccines at the China proposed Emergency Medical Storage Facility.

Mentioning that the location of storage facilities is yet to finalize, Momen said, Dhaka suggested building the storage near to coastal belt for better transportation.

The South Asian nations can get access to the emergency supply of that storage in the time of their urgent need. .

Momen said that East Asian countries by now set up such kind of vaccine storage for their member states.

The Chinese initiative came amid production shortfall of vaccines while most South Asian nations witnessed a massive coronavirus surge.

Referring Bangladesh’s contribution to the India-led SAARC COVID emergency fund last year, Momen said Dhaka believes in multilateralism.

“We will do everything for welfare of Bangladesh,” he added.

Momen said Beijing will give six lakh doses of vaccine as a gift while Dhaka is planning to purchase more vaccine from China.

He said Bangladesh is up to allow emergency use of Russian and Chinese vaccines as those are yet to get approval from WHO. “We’ll get the vaccine wherever we get it,” he
added.

However, he said, it would take minimum two weeks to complete the process to get any vaccine from Russia, China or the USA.

Bangladesh is a prime recipient of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines produced in India’s Serum Institute, but the alarming surge of the infection cases in India has created uncertainty
over its expected availability in due time.

Under an agreement of getting 30 million doses from India, Bangladesh is supposed to receive five million in each month, but after getting seven million of doses, Dhaka is yet to
receive the second consignment that was scheduled to arrive here by March.

“We are keeping continuous contact with India to get our vaccine soon,” he said adding that lastly, Dhaka urged New Delhi to send at least three million doses of vaccine now.

While talking to BSS, on Monday, Momen said Bangladesh’s decision to join Chinese COVID- cooperation platform for South Asian nations would not affect Dhaka-New Delhi
ties “in no way”.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh has been maintaining geopolitical balance with both India and China.

“We are with India, we are with China as well . . . we don’t have any biased view in our bilateral relations with these two nations,” Momen added.
He reminded that Bangladesh’s participation in Chinese Road and Belt initiative “didn’t affect our relationship (with India)”.

On January 21, Bangladesh received its first ever COVID-19 vaccine consignment while India sent 20 million doses as gift as part of their neighborhood plus policy.

Later, during the visit of Indian premier Narendra Modi here, Bangladesh also got 1.2 million doses of vaccine as gift.

Apart from the gift, Bangladesh purchased those 30 million doses of India-made vaccine under a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on November 5 and a
subsequent agreement on December 13 among Bangladesh government, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BPL) and the Serum Institute.

Indian opposition leaders recently demanded an immediate moratorium on the vaccine export fearing that the country could run out of inoculation for its own citizens prompting
Dhaka to vigorously hunt for other sources including China and Russia.

Last week, spokesperson of Indian high commission here said that India would continue to do its best to support the vaccine rollout in neighborhood countries.

“We can only share what is actually available and the fact is that there is a huge amount of demand and not enough supply,” he told media.

US, Britain rush supplies to virus-stricken India

NEW DELHI, Apr 26: The US and Britain rushed ventilators and vaccine materials to India Monday as the country battles a catastrophic, record-breaking
coronavirus wave that has overwhelmed hospitals and set crematoriums working at full capacity.
A surge in recent days has seen patients' families taking to social media to beg for oxygen supplies and locations of available hospital beds, and has forced
the capital New Delhi to extend a week-long lockdown.
The country of 1.3 billion has become the latest hotspot of a pandemic that has killed more than three million people, even as richer
countries take steps towards normality with quickening inoculation programmes.
Irfan Salmani told AFP he had been going from hospital to hospital around Delhi for the past three days, searching for oxygen for his
sister. "I've never seen anything so terrible," he said. "I've been trying non-stop."  "What can I do?... I've just been facing rejection after
rejection."
France, Germany and Canada have also pledged support to India, which has driven increases in global case numbers in recent days,
recording 352,991 new infections and 2,812 deaths on Monday -- its highest tolls since the start of the pandemic.
Creaking health facilities in poorer countries were exposed Sunday when more than 80 people died as fire ripped through a Baghdad
hospital for Covid-19 patients, sparking outrage and the suspension of top Iraqi officials. Thailand enforced new restrictions Monday
after a record daily death toll over the weekend, while the capital of neighbouring Cambodia has been under lockdown for 12 days as
cases spike.
The first of nine airline container-loads of supplies from the UK, including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, was set to arrive in
India early Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, pledging the UK would do "all it can" to help.
The White House said it was making vaccine-production material, therapeutics, tests, ventilators and protective equipment
immediately available to India. But it did not mention whether it would send any of the 30 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses it

currently holds in surplus, sparking accusations of hoarding. ADB: Bangladesh’s GDP growth to pick
up on stimulus, global recovery
Published : Wednesday, 28 April, 2021 at 11:18 AM  Count : 289

Bangladesh, which weathered the pandemic better than most economies in South Asia, will continue to grow strongly as exports pick up.

The country’s GDP growth is projected to accelerate 6.8% in FY2021 with stimulus package implementation and recovery in global growth and world trade, the Asian
Development Bank said in its Asian Development Outlook report on Wednesday.

In FY2022, GDP growth is expected to edge up further to 7.2% as both exports and imports pick up under sustained global recovery.

“Continuing strong remittances will underpin growth in private consumption, and private investment will accelerate on favourable global economic conditions and efforts to
improve the business climate,” the ADB said, reports bdnews24.com.

Growth will continue to strengthen gradually in South Asia’s other economies.

By the region, South Asia will record the fastest economic recovery this year, with the ADB predicting an expansion of 9.5% after a 6% contraction in 2020, buoyed by India's
economic revival.

Even as the coronavirus crisis in India remained grim, ADB's 11% growth forecast for the South Asian country this year, which follows an 8% slump in 2020, is "achievable at this
stage", according to ADB chief economist Yasuyuki Sawada.

"India's vaccine rollout is going well," Sawada said putting it on course to vaccinate 300 million by August and achieve herd immunity by 2022. India leads the world in the daily
average number of new infections reported, accounting for one in every 3 infections reported worldwide each day, according to a Reuters tally.

Developing Asia's economic rebound this year could be stronger than previously thought, the ADB said, underpinned by expectations of solid global recovery and progress on
vaccines. But the Manila-based lender was quick to caution that risks to its forecasts were skewed more to the downside because new outbreaks and delays in vaccine rollout could
prolong disruptions to mobility and stall regional economic activity.

Developing Asia, which groups 45 countries in the Asia-Pacific, is forecast to grow 7.3% in 2021, the ADB said, stronger than its previous estimate of 6.8% and follows a 0.2%
contraction last year. For 2022, the region is projected to grow 5.3%.

"Growth is gaining momentum across developing Asia, but renewed COVID-19 outbreaks show the pandemic is still a threat," said Sawada.

Geopolitical tensions, political turmoil, production bottlenecks, financial turmoil and long-term scarring effects of learning losses from school closures due to the pandemic also
threaten recovery, Sawada said in a separate briefing.

Asia accounts for more than 16% of the global caseload of 147.9 million coronavirus infections, according to a Reuters tally. With more than 319,000 deaths, the region accounts
for 9.8% of the global COVID-19 toll. As some economies continue to struggle to contain the virus and its new variants, the ADB said the recovery would be uneven.

China's economic rebound from a pandemic-induced slump is forecast to be the strongest this year, with growth seen at 8.1%, driven by strong domestic demand and exports,
before moderating to 5.5% in 2022, the ADB said.

Saudi to cut cost of recruiting workers from BD, Nepal, Lanka

Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia. File photo
Saudi Arabia wants to reduce the cost of recruiting domestic workers from Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, according to a report published in Saudi
newspaper Al Eqtisadiah.
It follows similar measures undertaken to lower the cost of recruiting from the Philippines, the newspaper said, citing an unnamed official at the Saudi
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, said the newspaper published on Monday.

The coronavirus pandemic has added to the cost of recruiting workers from overseas because of more expensive flight tickets and the need for
PCR tests before travel.

China’s Sinopharm vaccine approved for emergency use

Published : Thursday, 29 April, 2021 at 2:37 PM  CoBangladesh has approved the emergency use of China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.

Director General of Drug Administration (DGDA) Maj Gen Mahbubur Rahman came up with the announcement at a press briefing on Thursday.

China will provide 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine in the first phase. The first shipment of will arrive in Bangladesh within two weeks, he added.

earlier on Tuesday, the DGDA approved Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in Bangladesh.

UNB adds: The first dose of the Covid vaccination has apparently been suspended amid uncertainty over the availability of vaccine doses from Serum
Institute of India as per contract following rapid surge in the virus cases and deaths in neighbouring India.

Bangladesh signed an agreement with the Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd for 30 million doses of the vaccine.

Bangladesh received 7 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India through its contract. Bangladesh also received
3.3 million doses of vaccine as a bilateral partnership gift.

Although Foreign Minister AK Momen earlier assured people that there will be adequate doses of the vaccine but a record number of cases in India has
made the delivery of the vaccine doses uncertain.

In mid-April, the pandemic suddenly turned India into a Covid vaccine importer from a mass exporter.

DG of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam has recently said Bangladesh will get 21 lakh
doses of Covid-19 vaccine by the first week of May.

“Most of these vaccine doses will be imported by Beximco Pharmaceuticals,” he told reporters.
Among the doses, one lakh are of COVAX while the Serum Institute will supply the rest, Khurshid Alam said.

Myanmar says rice exports still on track

Published : Friday, 30 April, 2021 at 7:37 PM  CMyanmar still expects to export 2 million tonnes of rice this year, despite a warning from the
World Food Programme (WFP) that millions of people in the strife-torn country may struggle to afford food over the next few months, report Bloomberg
and Reuters.

Shipments of the grain fell about 35% in February through April from a year earlier, Myanmar Rice Federation president Ye Min Aung said in an interview
with Bloomberg.

However, the country is still on track to export at least 2 million tonnes in the year through September, he said. Myanmar typically ships 2 to 3 million
tonnes of rice offshore each year out of a total harvest of 14 to 15 million tonnes.

The country has been wracked by protests and deadly crackdowns by the armed forces since a military coup on Feb 1. Armed ethnic groups have been
stepping up their offensives against the Tatmadaw, with Karen National Union (KNU) rebels seizing a military outpost near the Thai border this week in a
sign that conflict will continue.

Thai and KNU officials said there were fresh air strikes and fighting on Friday.

The violence has caused alarm among civilians in the area, driving many to flee across a river border to seek safety in Thailand.

The World Bank has predicted Myanmar’s economy could shrink by 10% this year, while the United Nations WFP said the crisis “will severely undermine
the ability” of the poorest people to put enough food on the table

Ye Min Aung said there was enough rice available for domestic consumption in Myanmar, but transport difficulties are making it harder for poor people to
access it. Imported foods, such as edible oils, that Myanmar relies on are becoming more expensive due to a plunge in the kyat.

“Banking and finance, cash payments have become very difficult,” Ye Min Aung said. “Transport and logistics costs are very expensive and the
availability of containers to load and export rice is becoming harder.”

China is the biggest buyer of Myanmar’s rice followed by Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian countries, he said. The country is trying to broaden its
markets but global competition in the rice industry is very high, added.

Half of Myanmar’s population could be living in poverty by  next year, driven by the combination of the pandemic and the political crisis sparked by the
military coup, the UN warned on Friday.ount : 278

Bank Asia declares 10pc dividend in 22nd AGM

Published : Friday, 30 April, 2021 at 12:00 AM  CoBank Asia declares 10pc dividend in 22nd AGM
The 22nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Bank Asia Ltd was held virtually through digital platform due to COVID-19 pandemic. A. Rouf Chowdhury,
Chairman of the Bank, presided over the meeting on Thursday, says a press release.
The AGM began at 11:00 am where all the participants including the bank's shareholders and Board of Directors joined with their unique credentials. The
bank had communicated every detail of the virtual AGM with its shareholders earlier.

Bank has declared 10pc cash dividend for the year 2020 at the AGM. Vice Chairmen Mohd. Safwan Choudhury, Chairman of the Board Executive
Committee  Rumee A Hossain, Chairman of the Board Audit Committee Dilwar H Choudhury, Chairman of the Board Risk Management Committee  M.
A. Baqui Khalily, Directors Enam Chowdhury, Ms. Romana Rouf Chowdhury,  Ashraful Haq Chowdhury, Maj. Gen. (retd.) Mohammad Matiur Rahman, 
Md. Abul Quasem, Ms. Tania Nusrat Zaman, President and Managing Director Md. Arfan Ali, Company Secretary Mr. S. M. Anisuzzman, other senior
officials and a large number of shareholders joined the AGM. Shareholders expressed their satisfaction to the overall performance of the Bank and
approved the accounts for the year 2020.  unt : 301
Pakistan to face grave results in case of civil war in Afghanistan:
Khalilzad : KARACHI, Apr 29: US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has said Pakistan
understands that it will also face grave consequences in case of a civil war in Afghanistan.
Speaking to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the panel's first public hearing on the administration's Afghanistan policy,
Khalilzad said: "Peace is still possible in Afghanistan as the US has started withdrawing remaining troops from the country."
The envoy maintained, "Pakistan's leaders have emphasized publicly and to US officials that they do not support a military takeover by
the Taliban. I believe they understand that not only Afghanistan, but their country too will face grave consequences in the event of a
return to a wider civil war."
He stated that keeping US forces in Afghanistan did not make sense as the conflict could not be solved by continued fighting. "The US is
helping the Kabul government find contractors to replace the departing American ones."
"The Afghans ... with our help are looking for others to be able to provide that service to them," Khalilzad told the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. "We're obviously very sympathetic to them to find alternatives."
Earlier, United States President Joe Biden said that withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by the May 1 deadline would be 'hard to
meet'. The president cited "tactical reasons" for the delay, but clarified it is not the US government's intention to keep the troops for a
long time in the war-torn country.
He said that US soldiers must leave Afghanistan in a safe and orderly manner. "If we leave, we're going to do so in a safe and orderly
way," he stated.
In February 2020, a deal was struck between the United States and the Taliban in which it was agreed that Taliban prisoners will be
released from Afghan prisons before peace talks between the militant group and the government.
On August 10, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree to release the final batch of prisoners demanded by the Taliban as a
condition to move to peace talks.
Later, the Afghan government released the Taliban inmates, kicking of intra-Afghan peace talks. The two sides continued their
discussions for months but are only able to agree on procedural rules of the negotiations during this period.
    -BUSINESS RECORDER