China partners with ASEAN in tackling cross-border diseases

China and ASEAN countries aim to build a timely and accurate information channel for infectious diseases, said a Chinese official at an international workshop that closed on Wednesday in south China.

Joint epidemic prevention and control will help protect the health of over 1.8 billion people living in the region and contribute to global public health security, said Zhang Jiwen, head of the health department of China's quality watchdog.

Experts and government officials from Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam have shared their experience in coping with public health emergencies, including Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the H7N9 strain of bird flu.

Gilles Poumerol of the World Health Organization (WHO) said China and ASEAN countries need to exchange information and learn from each other in monitoring and responding to cross-border transmission of emerging infectious diseases.

Trade and personnel exchanges between China and ASEAN countries have surged since the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) in 2010. As China wraps up talks for an updated version of CAFTA by the end of 2015, more pressure will be put on public health management of countries in the region.