Ma was speaking while meeting the five experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) currently on an inspection tour on the disease of atypical pneumonia in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, south China.

As a member nation, China had maintained good, long-term links with the WHO, Ma said, noting that China was dutiful in providing relevant information and data to the WHO, so as to help other countries curb the spread of atypical pneumonia.

Local government and medical workers in Guangdong had made enormous efforts to control and treat atypical pneumonia, and great achievements had been made.

Ma thanked the WHO experts for their work and hoped that they would travel to more places in Guangdong to learn the real situation.

Dr. Robert F. Breiman, one of the WHO experts, said during their trip in the province, they had been warmly received by local government officials and medical experts, who had informed the WHO team of the situation in Guangdong in a positive manner.

Guangdong's experience was of great value as a reference for the global effort to control and treat atypical pneumonia, he said, adding it was a hard job that required the joint efforts of medical workers from all countries.

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2003)