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ANI |
Updated: May 24, 2021 23:21 IST
Beijing [China], May 24 (ANI): China's warning of 'substantial damage' to bilateral ties with Bangladesh if the latter joined the Quad alliance emanates from a fear of Beijing losing another ally, which forms a critical part of the country's strategic focus on South Asia.
Earlier this month, Beijing's envoy in Dhaka, Li Jiming, said the countries' relationship would suffer "substantial damage" if Bangladesh were to join the alliance alongside India, Japan, US and Australia.
China is increasingly concerned over the expansion of the grouping since officials from the US, India and Japan expressed an interest in including more "like-minded" democracies, such as Sri Lanka, South Korea and New Zealand, to counter China's growing power in the region.