TASS:
The border between China and Russia is very long. In order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, what kind of prevention and control measures have China taken in the areas bordering Russia. Do the Chinese and Russian governments keep in touch on this issue? Please give us more details about the international cooperation. Thanks.
Li Bin:
I'll answer your question. The prevention and control measures should focus on "early detection, report, diagnosis, isolation and treatment." Meanwhile, we have also strengthened the control of the epidemic. China's National Health Commission has added this new type of pneumonia to the Class B list of infectious diseases and will enforce the strictest controls, usually used for the most dangerous Class A diseases, to try to contain the coronavirus. According to international regulations, we added the new type of coronavirus to the list of Internationally Quarantinable Diseases. We have also strengthened the management of our ports, and China Customs has carried out further efforts to control and prevent the disease.
Regarding international and regional cooperation, I would like to share several points:
First, after the outbreak, to show our openness, transparency and a high degree of responsibility for global health security, China promptly notified the World Health Organization, as well as relevant countries including Russia, and the Chinese regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, on the epidemic. As of Jan. 20, we have shared information with them a total of 15 times.
Second, we are maintaining close communication with the WHO. Mr. Ma Xiaowei has called and written to the WHO Director-General several times to report on the current situation of the epidemic and exchanged information on the progress of epidemic prevention and control. Ma also shared the whole genome sequence of the new coronavirus with the WHO as soon as possible, and set up a special team to organize in-depth exchanges between Chinese and WHO experts. Until now, four communication meetings among experts have been held, and WHO experts have been invited to visit Wuhan in Hubei province, to conduct field inspections and interviews to learn more about the epidemic situation, deepen their understanding of the outbreak, so that we can reach a consensus, strengthen cooperation and make a joint response.
Third, we are doing a good job in our bilateral communications with various countries. Our commission maintains close communication with our counterpart technical departments and embassies in China such as those belonging to Thailand, Japan, South Korea and the United States. We share information on the epidemic, verify information received on suspected and confirmed cases, and promptly respond to foreign concerns.
Fourth, we have strengthened our communication and collaboration with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. In addition to the regular sharing of information, our commission has invited experts from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to visit the relevant medical and health institutions in Wuhan, and conduct in-depth exchanges with local medical and health personnel to further understand the situation. In response to requests from Hong Kong and Macao, we have provided them with diagnostic kits free of charge. Thank you.
