The minister of the China National Health and Family Planning Commission, Li Bin, speaking at UN headquarters in New York City, asked the international community to offer more emergency assistance to countries affected by the Ebola epidemic, on Sept 26.

Li was addressing a meeting on the Global Health Security Agenda, when she reminded the gathering that the Ebola epidemic is wreaking havoc and posing serious threat to the people of West Africa and, “It has become a global and non-traditional security challenge that the international community faces.”

In explaining China's part in international assistance efforts, Li said, “We’ve provided emergency medical assistance to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with 234 million yuan worth of food and things to prevent an epidemic,” then added that the government has offered $2 million worth of aid to African Union and WHO. She concluded, “China will continue to work closely with the international community, with new initiatives to strengthen global health security and provide more assistance to developing countries.”

The Global Health Security Agenda was started in this past February to work for a world that is safe and secure from infectious diseases, and for disease testing and rapid response to outbreaks.

Taking part in the UN meeting were the US president, Barack Obama, and heads of the WHO, FAO, World Organization for Animal Health, and health ministers and envoys from South Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Canada, and more than 35 other countries.