China calls for jointly ensuring safe, smooth flows of personnel between countries

BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Foreign Ministry on Monday expressed the hope that all parties would uphold scientific principles and work together to ensure the safe and smooth flows of personnel between countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a regular press briefing.

Since COVID began, China has always put the people and their lives above all else, Wang noted. He said that Omicron is much less pathogenic and deadly, and China has improved its capacity for medical treatment, pathogen detection and vaccination. China has taken the initiative to refine its COVID response measures in light of the current pandemic situation.

At present, with a focus on health and preventing severe cases, relevant Chinese departments are making every effort to allocate medical resources, ensure drug production, supply and vaccination coverage, and protect key groups such as the elderly, pregnant women and children, so as to reduce severe cases and deaths through every feasible means, Wang said.

The epidemic situation in China is improving on the whole. Some provinces and cities have passed their COVID peaks, and production and life are returning to normal at an accelerated pace, the spokesperson said.

China has always been committed to sharing information on its virus mutation monitoring and infected groups with the international community in a timely, open and transparent manner. Over the past three years, China has conducted more than 60 technical exchanges with the World Health Organization, including four in a single month recently, Wang said.

"We hope that all parties will uphold scientific principles and work together to ensure the safe and smooth flows of personnel between countries, so as to contribute to international solidarity in the fight against COVID-19 and to global economic recovery," he said.