China has paid a "high price" for the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic but is willing to share with the world its experience in fighting against it, a senior health official said in Beijing Tuesday.

The SARS epidemic is a disaster facing the whole mankind and as the largest victim, China and its people have suffered greatly, said executive vice health minister Gao Qiang, at a high-level symposium on SARS, held for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

"We have paid a high price for the epidemic, but we also learned a lot," said Gao, adding that China is willing to share its experience with other countries.

Gao briefed on China's five-point experience as follows:

-- Motivating and organizing all forces under a strong command system to form the social basis of the successful control of SARS.

-- Resorting to laws for concerted actions and ensuring that obligations are fulfilled in handling the notifiable infectious disease. This is the only way to standardize and regulate the prevention and control efforts.

-- Relying on science and technology, the most powerful weapon to control and eliminate SARS. In the past few months, mankind has worked at an unprecedented speed to identify the SARS pathogen, the effective and prompt diagnostic and control measures, and to develop vaccine and effective cure.

-- Depending on the broad masses of the people. The Chinese people have, over the past few months, worked out many effective measures like community-based prevention and control network, which have played an irreplaceable role in curbing the spread of the epidemic.

-- Increasing international cooperation.

Gao said SARS does not respect state boundaries and to conquer it needs the joint efforts of the whole mankind.

The close cooperation among countries for solutions is the most effective way to conquer the SARS epidemic, which is in the interest of all countries, in particular, the Asian countries, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2003)