Li Bin, minister of China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, in addressing the World Health Assembly, on May 19, said, “China will continue to help Africa set up a disease prevention and public health system, increase the training of medical staff, and improve African countries’ ability to deal with public health emergencies.”

She went on to explain that, by now, China has provided $120 million worth of material for West Africa, built a treatment center with 100 beds in Liberia, has dispatched 1,200 medical staff members to Ebola-affected West Africa, treated more than 950 cases of the disease, tested 6,100 samples and trained 13,000 local people as staff. In addition, it dispatched public health experts for the United Nations Special Envoy and the WHO’s special team in Africa.

Li summed it up by saying, “This is China’s biggest health emergency aid for foreign countries since 1949.”

She then added that the next step for China is to lend a hand in building an African center for disease control and prevention and to strengthen testing and supervision and it will invite African medical staff to China for professional training, send Chinese experts to Africa for contagious diseases prevention, and support the development of a health care system.

Li appealed to the international community for more assistance to Ebola-affected West African countries to help them win the fight against Ebola.