BEIJING: China will provide support within its capacity to countries with weaker health systems to help them strengthen their epidemic prevention and control capabilities, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.
Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks when asked to comment on a statement from World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus’s video address to the meeting of health ministers of African Union (AU) member states Saturday. Tedros said the WHO is still concerned about the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in countries with weaker health systems and called on the international community to support the most ill-prepared countries.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chinese government and people have taken the most comprehensive, stringent and thorough prevention and control measures, which have achieved remarkable effects as proven by facts, Zhao said. By quoting Tedros, Zhao said China’s effective measures have contained the spread of the virus inside China and to other countries, providing time for the world to prepare for the epidemic. African countries have provided precious support and assistance to China the first time after the epidemic despite their limited conditions, the spokesperson said.
Noting that the 36th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council and the AU Peace and Security Council Meeting have issued communiques in support of China’s efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Zhao said the meeting of health ministers of AU member states also highly praised China’s anti-epidemic measures. – Agencies
