The prevention and treatment of any infectious disease has become the common responsibility of the whole world rather than a matter particular for one country or region, and only through regional and international cooperation can the disease be effectively controlled and eliminated, said Vice Premier and Health Minister Wu Yi while meeting with heads of delegations participating in the China-ASEAN Entry-Exit Quarantine Meeting on SARS, which was held on June 1-2 in Beijing.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao tabled a series of proposals on China-ASEAN cooperation against SARS while attending the China-ASEAN Leaders' Special Meeting on SARS held in Bangkok in late April. The Beijing meeting is a follow-up effort of China and ASEAN to strengthen international cooperation in the anti-SARS campaign.
Apart from China and the 10 ASEAN membersBrunei, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam, the World Health Organization (WHO) and 11 other countries such as Bangladesh, India, Japan and Russia were invited to the meeting.
Health officials and experts discussed and passed the Entry-Exit Quarantine Action Plan for Controlling the Spread of SARS by Governments of the People's Republic of China and ASEAN. The Action Plan is designed to protect the health of travelers, guarantee normal international contacts, and reduce the adverse impact of SARS on the region's economy.
The Chinese delegation briefed on the Chinese Government's measures in the control of SARS with respect to entry-exit quarantine. ASEAN representatives exchanged their experiences in entry-exit quarantine management and unanimously agree that international coordination and cooperation should further be enhanced to build a security defense line at points of entry and exit.
Henk Bekedam, the WHO's representative in China, thanked China and ASEAN for their efforts in the fight against SARS. He said China and ASEAN have been in the frontline against SARS and greatly helped the WHO curb its spread.
Li Changjiang, head of the State General Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine, presided over the meeting. He said China would continue cooperation and exchanges with the WHO and other countries in an effort to effectively control and eliminate SARS, a common enemy of the whole humanity.
(Beijing Review June 13, 2003)
