China Using Pandemic Diplomacy to Expand Its Footprint in India’s Neighbourhood
News 18Much to India’s discomfiture, its all-weather ally Bangladesh has allowed China to conduct the last-stage human trial of a potential Covid-19 vaccine. Bangladesh was the first country to receive these test kits from India on priority, “which reflects the importance of Dhaka to New Delhi”, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said in a statement. Dhaka-Beijing equations New Delhi’s indignation also stems from the fact that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apparently did not meet India’s High Commissioner despite repeated requests for a meeting in the past four months, The Hindu said, quoting a prominent daily of the country. Earlier this month, India’s Border Security Force sounded an alert to check cross-border infiltration from Bangladesh and possible human trafficking in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.