Vice Premier Hui Liangyu, addressing opening ceremony of the Ministerial Conference for Asian Cooperation on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Control yesterday, called on Asian countries and international organizations to strengthen cooperation in the fight against the disease.

"It is not only an urgent task for all regional governments, but also a common obligation for the international community to protect the healthy growth of the poultry industry and the public health security," he said, adding that bird flu's spread has exceeded national and regional boundaries.

He said Asian countries and regions should strengthen cooperation with international and regional organizations to protect the environment so as to do a better job in fighting bird flu.

Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin, who chaired the opening ceremony in Kunming, capital of the southwestern province of Yunnan, said the conference would play a "positive" role in helping shape a regional anti-bird flu mechanism to jointly combat the threat. 

A joint Kunming Initiative was released at the end of the event, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and attended by over 100 delegates from 16 countries and six international organizations.

Experts at the conference said China's research on a bird flu vaccine that can be used on chickens and water fowl is now the most advanced in the world, and has been proved effective after its use in Southeast Asia.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2005)