In a joint statement issued on Tuesday in Beijing, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) demonstrated a shared political will in the face of public health crises. 

In addition to strengthening the consensus attained on sharing information and resources during last year's fight against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), participants to the China-ASEAN Special Meeting on High Pathogenic Avian Influenza decided to jointly launch a fund to facilitate regional collaboration.

Opening of such a collective account will substantially advance public good in all contributing countries. The financial commitment assures all in the area that rhetoric from our public health watchdogs on collective defence against cross-border health crises will no longer sound hollow.

Many of the next steps the participating countries have envisioned, such as a regional veterinarian network, need immediate financial support. And for the success of the common cause, resource sharing is as essential as promises of partnership.

The larger common ground China and ASEAN have discovered, as was manifest in Tuesday's joint statement, marks inspiring progress in their pursuit of constructive ties.

Geographic proximity and close economic contacts determine that China and ASEAN share enormous common concerns and interests when it comes to cross-border epidemics. And cultural familiarity makes it easier to build consensus on issues of common concern.

Last year's SARS onslaught proved that fact, and bird flu made the message even more plain this year.

To the benefit of all involved, these countries have learned from the heavy loss to SARS and emerged more conscious of the necessity for a collective defence.

The spontaneous sharing of epidemic information and corresponding consultation has proved vital for the effective containment of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

The scenario might have been completely different were it not for the timely coordination and cooperation between and among China and ASEAN countries, as well as world health and agricultural bodies.

Our agricultural and public health officials were preoccupied with the current bird flu hazard when they issued Tuesday's joint statement. That statement hit the nail on its head by targeting bird flu as a top priority.

A contact network for SARS prevention has been established, and a similar regional veterinarians network to deal with bird flu is in the offing. Are we going to weave another network should some other epidemic surface and travel across our boundaries?

We should not wait until the next epidemic strikes to figure out what to do together. We cannot afford that.

Although we do not know what the next test will be, we know we will have to stand shoulder to shoulder again with regional partners when the next epidemic strikes.

It may be more desirable if we upgrade the current pattern of collaboration and install a more broadly defined mechanism to address all public health problems of regional concern.

(China Daily March 4, 2004)