Chinese medical expert team arrives in Bangladesh to help fight COVID-19

DHAKA - A medical expert team sent by the Chinese government arrived here on Monday to support Bangladesh's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen welcomed the team at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Monday afternoon. Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming, among others, was also present at the airport.

The 10-member team, organized by China's National Health Commission, consists of experts from Hainan, the southernmost island province of China.

The Chinese medical experts will provide consultations of pandemic control, patients treatment and laboratory tests, and guide and train Bangladeshi medical professionals.

The Chinese team will stay in Bangladesh for two weeks, Foreign Minister Momen said in a media briefing at the airport.

He thanked the Chinese team for coming to Bangladesh to bolster the country's efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our medical professionals will also be encouraged by them," he added.

He expressed hope that the relations between Bangladesh and China will be further deepened for mutual benefits.

In his speech, Ambassador Li said a pandemic such as COVID-19 shows that in today's world no country could stand alone in a global crisis, adding that all must work together to address the challenges.

Mutual understanding and support between China and Bangladesh since the onset of the pandemic has shown the pragmatic cooperation of the two countries, he said.

As a pair of true and time-honored friends, China and Bangladesh have been standing in strong solidarity in the fight against COVID-19, he said.

Starting from February, China has provided Bangladesh with over 3 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 number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased to 68,504 in Bangladesh on Monday, with the daily rise of 2,735 cases reported in the last 24 hours.