Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the China-ASEAN leaders' special meeting on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) scheduled for April 29 in Bangkok at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, announced Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao at a press conference Thursday.
Liu said SARS has posed a common threat and challenge to all nations in the region, and strengthening regional exchanges and cooperation is one of the effective measures to deal with the disease and other cross-nation issues.
The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the meeting and hopes to further enhance communication, exchanges and cooperation with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), make joint efforts with them for the prevention, treatment and eradication of the epidemic, and promote the friendly relations of cooperation between the two sides, the spokesman said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2003)
