China vows to stand alongside Africa in fight against Ebola

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) addresses a High-Level Event on Ebola during the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept 25, 2014. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday said the people of China will always stand beside the African people in the fight against Ebola.

Wang made the pledge while addressing a high-level meeting on response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease on the sidelines of the annual UN General Debate.

"The epidemic may be merciless, but people with love help each other," said Wang. "The Chinese government has provided instantly drugs, medical equipment and other disease prevention and relief materials to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau."

China has sent in succession more than 170 medical workers to the affected areas to fight on the front line against the epidemic with local people since the outbreak of the epidemic. "They work round the clock to help people from the affected areas," Wang said.

In August, China offered once again 30 million yuan (or about 4. 86 million U.S. dollars) worth of humanitarian assistance to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, which were delivered to them by air, according to Wang.

"This month, President Xi Jinping decided to send an additional package of assistance totaling 200 million yuan to relevant African countries, which includes food, materials and equipment, and cash, while offer cash assistance to the World Health Organization and theAfrican Union each worth two million US dollars. Relevant decisions are being implemented," he said.

"The two groups of mobile bio-safety laboratories sent by China have already arrived in Sierra Leone," Wang added. "Over 20 Chinese epidemic experts and more than 30 medical workers from China are busy conducting lab testing and taking care of the suspected patients placed under medical observation."

Wang stressed that in responding to further needs of the affected areas, China will continue to provide additional assistance by sending high-level expert teams to the affected countries to share experience of combating epidemics, working with the international community to train medical personnel for the affected countries, and push for establishing treatment centers.

"China will also give priority to health cooperation under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to help improve the disease prevention and control systems of African countries," he added.