Oversight to be boosted for exports

Key meeting chaired by Li vows ongoing pandemic assistance for other countries

China will step up quality supervision over its exported medical supplies while facilitating the procurement of epidemic containment materials by other countries, according to a statement released after a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday.

The leading group of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on responding to the novel coronavirus pneumonia said the country will continue to do its best to help with epidemic control and prevention in other countries and bolster international cooperation to fight the pandemic.

China will prohibit exports of products that have not been registered with medical products authorities or those without proper certificates, the statement said.

The group said there are still risks of a possible domestic rebound of the virus, with some areas seeing recurrences of the illness due to social gatherings. It is important to discover and resolve weak areas in epidemic containment, and accelerate steps to expand nucleic acid and blood tests for antibodies in key areas, the group said.

It added that the testing ratio must be further improved and epidemiological research bolstered so infections are detected without delay and the situation of asymptomatic patients can be assessed. The meeting urged Wuhan authorities to continue unremitting containment measures at communities and reduce nonessential gatherings while making all-out efforts to treat patients in critical condition.

Authorities in other areas must elevate monitoring at fever clinics and the network of outbreak reporting and plan a quick response in the event of an outbreak, the group said. It also emphasized improving testing technologies and speeding up research and development in antiviral drugs and vaccines.

The group also said the country must make adjustments to prevent importation of the pandemic. Authorities in border areas must adjust work plans in accordance with local circumstances. Incoming travelers must be subject to strict closed-loop management so that a multilevel, all-dimensional containment chain－from the border to the doorsteps of households－can be established, it said. Unnecessary cross-border movement of people must be reduced, and normal cargo transport ensured, it added.

The country will mobilize strength from inland provincial areas to strengthen the stockpile of medical supplies and lab testing capacity in border areas and port cities, the group said.

The meeting also urged the establishment of joint prevention and control mechanisms with neighboring countries, saying China will scale up support and care for its citizens overseas, help solve their practical problems and protect their health, safety and legitimate interest.

Also on Thursday, the group published a guideline on ensuring effective epidemic containment while restoring business operations in an active and orderly manner.