Chinese Vice-Premier and Health Minister Wu Yi said in Geneva on Tuesday that the Chinese government stands ready to cooperate sincerely with other countries and will shoulder its responsibility and play a constructive role in fighting all global diseases.

Wu made the remarks at the General Debate of the 56th World Health Assembly (WHA).

She said that globalization has increasingly turned the homeland of mankind into a global village, where the issue of public health knows no national boundaries.

Once a crisis breaks out, complaining or blaming others does not help, she said, stressing that mutual understanding, close cooperation and joint counter-measures are the only solutions to any crisis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) should play a more important role in global health affairs and the international community must strengthen their cooperation in this regard, the vice-premier said.

WHO should also play a greater role in information exchange, personnel training, technical support and resources exploitation in the combat against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), she added.

Wu reiterated that it is necessary to set up a global SARS control fund, to which China is ready to make its contribution.

She also noted that it is essential to establish and improve a global contingency mechanism and upgrade the capacity to cope with global diseases.

Countries should establish and improve a network of epidemic monitoring, prevention, treatment and information exchange, she added.

The WHA is the annual meeting of the 192-member WHO and this year's conference is held on May 19-28.

SARS containment, health problems in postwar Iraq, tobacco control and children's health are on the top of the conference's agenda.

(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2003)