Chinese premier Wen Jiabao delivered a speech at a China-ASEAN special meeting on SARS. The following are main points of his speech.

Stressing that all diseases, particularly new infectious disease of unknown causes, are common enemies of mankind, and that cross-border spread of SARS is a common challenge to the world and to Asia in particular, Wen proposed the following measures of cooperation between China and ASEAN:

-- to establish a reporting mechanism with respect to epidemic and disease prevention and treatment;

-- to carry out exchanges of experience and go for cooperated SARS research;

-- to accelerate the bilateral health cooperation process;

-- to coordinate border exit and entry control measures; and,

-- to do everything possible to minimize the adverse effects of SARS, including the establishment of a China-ASEAN workshop to look into possible counter-measures.

Wen also said that China has taken the following measures to contain the disease:

-- strengthening prevention across the board to contain the spread of the disease, making SARS a statutory epidemic under the country's legislation, and establishing an open and transparent system for epidemic reporting and news release;

-- going all out to treat SARS patients and setting up SARS funds;

-- establishing an epidemic contingency mechanism and enhancing the capacity for emergency management. China lost no time in establishing and improving a national public health contingency response mechanism, including a disease monitoring and data collecting and sharing network, and a collaborative network of laboratories;

-- stepping up critical SARS research and exploring effective methods of diagnosis and treatment; and

-- enhancing cooperation with the international community and drawing on others' successful experience.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2003)