The team of German lawmakers arrived in Taiwan as defense officials reported the detection of Chinese warplanes. Beijing said it had conducted patrols and combat exercises around Taiwan.  A high-ranking parliamentary delegation from Germany landed in Taiwan for a four day visit on Monday. The team arrived as Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported that Chinese warplanes had been detected in it's airspace. On Sunday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that it had carried out military drills around Taiwan. Chinese forces had organized "joint combat readiness patrols and actual combat drills" in the sea and airspace around Taiwan, read a statement from the PLA. PLA drills aims to counter "separatist forces" in Taiwan The Chinese military said its exercises were focused on land strikes and sea assaults. Some 57 PLA aircraft and 4 PLA Naval vessels were detected around Taiwan, said a statement by Taiwan's Defense Ministry. "28 of the detected aircraft had crossed the media line of the Taiwan Strait," it said. The aim of China's exercise was to test joint combat abilities and "resolutely counter the provocative actions of external forces and Taiwan independence separatist forces," said the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command. This is the  second such exercise in less than a month when 43 Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, which is an unofficial buffer between the two regions. German visit a 'sign of solidarity' Chair of Germany's parliamentary defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, is leading the German delegation and said that the visit marked a "sign of solidarity" with Taiwan. Strack-Zimmermann added that the delegation will discuss the current "threat situation." German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger is also scheduled to visit Taipei in spring, which will be the first visit by a member of the German Cabinet in 26 years. On Sunday, the neoliberal Free Democratic Party's (FDP) Johannes Vogel tweeted a photo of himself and his FDP colleague Strack-Zimmermann on the flight to Taiwan. The first meetings on Monday were with fellow lawmakers in Taiwan, with German lawmaker Vogel describing Taiwan's situation as "very complex." He said both Germany and Europe "support a One-China Policy" but told lawmakers: "We support Taiwan when it comes to making it totally clear that military aggression and the threat of military aggression coming from Beijing is unacceptable." Highlighting how  Germany's dependence on Russia for natural resources before the Ukraine invasion, Strack-Zimmermann warned that "it can only be to our disadvantage to make ourselves dependent economically on autocratic states." Germany's visit upsets China China, which views the democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has been carrying out regular military incursions into Taiwan's air and maritime space for the past three years. President Xi has reacted with growing anger to the flurry of visits by Western politicians to the island and opposed any official exchange with Taiwan. Last year, as a protest to former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Beijing ramped up military pressure on Taipei by launching its largest war games in decades. Berlin's diplomatic venture to Taipei has already drawn barbs from China. As part of its response to the visit, China Monday invoked Germany's "painful" history — an apparent reference to the country's wartime record. "The root cause of the Taiwan problem is precisely that the law of the jungle, hegemonism, colonialism, militarism and nationalism were rampant in the world, and China suffered deeply from them," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. "Germany has [experienced] a profound and painful historical lesson in this regard," he added. "We urge these German politicians to earnestly abide by the One-China principle." Earlier this year, in response to rising tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific region,  Germany sent 13 military aircraft to joint exercises in Australia. In August last year, a German frigate, Bayern, set sail for the Indo-Pacific for the first time in 20 years.  It was denied a port visit by China.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said Bangladesh suspended the visa on arrival for Chinese nationals as part of the government’s temporary policy following the outbreak of coronavirus. At the same time, he said, the government has advised Chinese nationals living in Bangladesh and working in various development projects to avoid visiting China in the next one month. “Last night (Saturday night), we took the decision to stop providing on arrival visa (until further notice),” the Foreign Minister told reporters at a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said regular visas will be issued but the applicants will have to produce medical certificates indicating that they have no health-related complexities. The Foreign Minister said they conveyed the decision to Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming last night. The deaths caused by the new virus rose to at least 304 globally so far. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam were, among others, present at the briefing.      Dr Momen said the Chinese nationals who live in Bangladesh visit China frequently and conveyed that they should avoid going to China for a month.  “This will be a temporary situation,” he said, adding that this is how they are trying to control the traffic. Asked whether Bangladesh’s trade and commerce ties with China will be affected, the Foreign Minister said they do not think it will be affected by the temporary policy. Despite a 14-day restriction by the Chinese authorities, Bangladesh could bring back its nationals from China before other countries, which shows “strong friendship” with Bangladesh, he said. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Ambassador to China Mahbub Uz Zaman said the mission in Beijing will extend cooperation and assistance if any Bangladesh citizen is still willing to return from China.       "Evacuation (if required more) will be done on a case-by-case basis," he told UNB as a total of 316 Bangladesh citizens returned home on a special flight on Saturday. The Bangladesh envoy said it will be based on the ground situation and in consultation with Chinese authorities. "However, providing safety, welfare and security of our citizens remains our prime concern and objective," he said, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given clear instructions to that end. Bangladeshis were brought back from China’s Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak, on Saturday morning and seven of them were sent to Kurmitola General Hospital. However, the Foreign Minister on Sunday put the number at 314. Managing Director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Mokabbir Hossain said 316 Bangladeshis, including three infants, arrived Dhaka from Wuhan. Assistant Director of the Directorate General of Health Services Dr Shahriar said 309 of them have been kept at the quarantine unit at Ashkona Hajj Camp while seven were admitted to Kurmitola General Hospital. He said four of the passengers were suffering from fever, three others from cough and sneezing. Contacted, Director of Kurmitola General Hospital Brig Gen Jamil Ahmed said doctors at the hospital found their temperature normal when they were brought here. Samples of the seven Bangladeshis were sent to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) for testing, he said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is expected that further international exportation of cases may appear in any country. A number of countries have already suspended visas for Chinese travelers. The health ministry has also ordered screening of all people coming to Bangladesh from India through Benapole land port for coronavirus. Global coronavirus cases rose to nearly 14,380, surpassing that of the 2003 Sars epidemic, according to Chinese and World Health Organization data. The majority of the cases have been reported from China but about 100 cases have been confirmed in 23 other countries. Bangladesh is yet to report any case. The Philippines has recently reported the first coronavirus death outside China, reports the South China Morning Post. Source: UNB AH

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, China has informed about their decision to provide on arrival visa for Bangladesh. He said this to the newsmen after holding two hours long home minister level meeting at the secretariat on Friday. The meeting started at 10 am at the home ministry meeting room at the secretariat. Bangladesh Home Minister and Public Security Affairs Minister of China and party committee Secretary Zhao Kezhi led the two respective sides. Home Minister said, they told us that it takes time to get Chinese visas for the businessmen and others. Besides sometimes visas cannot be obtained in due time. So we are thinking about providing on arrival visas. If tourists and businessmen go there without visas due to shortness of time then they (China) will provide on arrival visas. They discussed about the matter and will take action later in this regard. The minister made a comment that China is agreed to send back Rohingyas as soon as possible and said, to send Rohingyas back to their country China will cooperate to implement the agreements that were signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar. They will stay beside Bangladesh on the issue. The Chinese Public Security Affairs Minister and party committee Secretary Zhao Kezhi praised Bangladesh for providing shelter to this huge number of Rohingyas. Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, in the meeting discussions were held in different issues like terrorism, curbing militancy, cyber crimes and transnational crimes. He also informed that Bangladesh and China signed three agreements to increase security cooperation between the two countries. Earlier on Thursday Zhao Kezhi arrived in Bangladesh on a three-day visit. Later Zhao met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the evening. This is the highest level visit from China in Bangladesh this year. AH