by Naim-Ul-Karim
DHAKA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Every country has the right to defend its sovereignty and pursue its own domestic and economic policies, two eminent Bangladeshi political leaders said in a strong rebuke of the White House's China policy.
Dilip Barua, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, condemned the U.S. decision to abruptly close the Chinese Consulate General in Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.
By closing the Chinese consulate, "the U.S. has violated the international law, the Vienna Convention and the terms of China-U.S. (Consular) Convention," he told Xinhua.
In response to the U.S. unilateral provocation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday informed the U.S. Embassy in China of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu.
"The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States. It conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations, and customary diplomatic practices," the ministry said.
China has the right to cease operations by the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu, Barua said, expressing the hope that "in the near future China and the U.S. will take necessary measures to minimize the tension" and work together to eliminate COVID-19 in a proper way.
Hasanul Haq Inu, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, also an ally of the ruling Grand Alliance, shared Barua's view that Washington should not interfere in China's internal affairs.
As the world's largest economies, the United States and China had better join hands to fight COVID-19, Inu said.
Commenting on the U.S.-China relations that have gone sour over the COVID-19 pandemic with Washington accusing China of mishandling the outbreak, he said such accusations are totally baseless and have no logical ground.
"We believe in the one-China principle. We believe that every country has the right to defend its sovereignty and also to pursue its own domestic and economic policy."
He expressed the hope that the two countries would handle differences at the table and avoid further deteriorating the situation. "Now the priority is to jointly fight COVID-19." Enditem
