Anthrax infection, which has stirred up public fears in the United States, has thus far not been a problem in China.
The reassurance came from Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi Thursday in a regular news briefing as he rebuffed reports of two "suspicious letters" found in Beijing that had caused speculation that they contained anthrax.
"You have my word, there is no outbreak in China," said Sun, who said that message can be authenticated by governmental offices for public security, quarantines and other relevant departments.
As Sun explained, there were only two suspicious letters. A Chinese employee of a US company in Beijing received a Falun Gong leaflet in an envelope which contained white powder on October 9. Another company in Beijing was sent a letter containing four pills on October 16.
Police sent the letters to quarantine authorities as soon as the cases were reported, and people exposed to the letters were also tested, Sun added.
Anthrax has been feared in the United States as a number of infection cases were reported and the country has been on full alert to curb further cases.
Sun said that China respected decisions made by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on handling security issues facing the upcoming ministerial meeting next month, which is slated to open in Doha, capital of the Gulf country of Qatar.
The response came in response to recent security concerns related to Doha's close proximity to Afghanistan, where US-led military strikes are continuing for the third week in response to the September 11th terror attacks on New York and Washington that caused more than 6,000 deaths.
At the meeting, China is expected to join the global trade club, which stands to help integrate the country into the world market and kick start a new round of talks on trade liberalization.
Sun also announced that Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, will make a five-nation visit from October 31 to November 17.
The trip is at the invitation of Ben Salah, president of the National Assembly of Algeria; Fidel Castro, president of the Council of States of Cuba; the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba; the Congress of Argentina; Luis Hierro, vice-president of Uruguay and president of the National Congress of Uruguay; and Fouad Mebazaa, president of the National Assembly of Tunisia.
During the visit, Li Peng will engage in an in-depth exchange of views with the leaders of the five nations about bilateral ties, as well as the regional and international situation.
(China Daily October 24,2001)
