Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said Mexican authorities' criticism of China's quarantine moves could slightly affect their relations.

"If the flu had broken out in China and other countries had taken similar action, I don't think Beijing would have complained," he said, pointing out that China has also quarantined its own citizens returning from Mexico.

"(But) we can understand the Mexican reaction, which has been affected by their domestic situation. Not many will mention it after two or three weeks," he said.

Most Chinese online users also support the decision to quarantine Mexicans.

A poll by major information portal Sina.com showed that 92.5 percent of 4,263 online users said the quarantine was "a necessary preventive method and had nothing to do with discrimination".

China offered 5 million U.S. dollars in aid to Mexico last Wednesday - 1 million dollars in cash and 4 million dollars in medical supplies - the first country to send aid after the epidemic broke out. Mexican President Felipe Calderon received the Air China chartered flight carrying the supplies on Friday.

The second batch of aid material reached Monday.

In China, the authorities have beefed up preventive measures.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said Monday although the mainland has not yet reported any cases of H1N1, there is a possibility of the virus making its way.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said Monday six more supervision teams had been sent to Shandong, Hebei, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei and Shaanxi provinces to work with local authorities in epidemic prevention. It sent five teams to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in late April.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Monday raised its tally of confirmed human H1N1 cases to 1,003 with 26 confirmed deaths. Twenty countries and regions have reported laboratory-confirmed cases so far. Mexico, the center of the outbreak, has reported 590 cases and 25 deaths from the virus.

(China Daily May 5, 2009)