More than 100 and health officials and experts convened in Beijing Tuesday to exchange information and seek more regional and international cooperation in containing SARS.

The meeting, "ASEAN, China, Japan and ROK (10+3) High-level Symposium on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome," was a follow-up to the joint declaration proclaimed at the Special China-ASEAN Leaders Meeting on SARS on April 29 in Bangkok, Thailand. Chinese Vice-Premier and Minister of Health Wu Yi attended the opening ceremony, and met the delegates beforehand.

In his opening address, Chinese Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang said the symposium, initiated by Premier Wen Jiabao at the Bangkok meeting, was a tangible outcome of the joint declaration and constituted an important part of the 10+3 efforts against SARS.

Gao said SARS was an unforeseen and serious disaster confronting all mankind, which had severely threatened the health and safety of people in Asia and the world at large, and undermined social life and economic development.

He outlined China's fight against SARS, and China's anti-SARS measures: intensifying the organizational efforts of SARS prevention and treatment, integrating SARS prevention and control into the legal system, making every effort in medical treatments and intensifying scientific research.

The situation on the Chinese mainland had been gradually relieved and the number of SARS cases had been dropping, Gao added.

China's efforts to prevent and treat the epidemic were increasingly being standardized and carried out in an orderly way, and significant achievements had been made, said Gao, adding the country was nevertheless fully aware that the battle was far from over.

He said that although the situation was easing there were still unstable elements to be eliminated. China still had a major task to prevent a potential resurgence of the disease. "We must maintain vigilance and continue the prevention and treatment initiatives unremittingly," he said.

Gao shared with the participants China's five-point anti-SARS experience, which included mobilizing all forces by the government, resorting to law, relying on science and technology, depending on the broad masses of the people, and increasing international cooperation.

Gao said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, Japan and the ROK were good neighbors, friends and partners of China and they shared many common interests.

Gao expressed belief that through their concerted efforts in fighting SARS, the countries would enjoy more profound friendship, closer cooperation, enhanced consultation and dialogue and better mechanisms for common development.

Gao said he was convinced that with this symposium, information sharing would be more effective, researches into SARS diagnostic reagents, vaccines and therapeutic medicines would be accelerated, and the regional cooperation mechanism in dealing with public health emergencies would be boosted.

The theme of the two-day symposium was to exchange information and experience in SARS prevention and treatment, particularly in issues like epidemiological investigation, clinical treatment, diagnostic reagents and pharmaceutical research so as to facilitate international cooperation.

Delegates from the ASEAN countries, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the World Health Organization, health officials from Mongolia, the United States, Britain, France and Canada were present at the symposium.

The Cameroon and Russian embassies in China also sent representatives to the meeting.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2003)