Wang Jianjun, a member of the leading Party members' group of China's National Health Commission (NHC), speaks at the videoconference on China-Dominica health collaboration on Sept 10. [Photo/nhc.gov.cn]

China and Dominica held a conference on the prevention and control of COVID-19 via video link on Sept 10. 

Participants of the conference included Wang Jianjun, a member of the leading Party members' group of China's National Health Commission (NHC), Dominican Vice-President Raquel Peña, the Dominican health minister, Chinese Ambassador to Dominica Zhang Run, and Dominican Ambassador to China Briunny Garabito Segura.

High-level representatives from the health, diplomatic, and economic departments of the two countries and experts from technological institutions also attended the meeting.

Wang briefly introduced China's major experience in COVID-19 prevention and control. He said that the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Dominica conforms to international justice and the trends of the times and will benefit the future.

China and the Caribbean countries, including Dominica, are helping each other in the fight against the pandemic, which embodies the idea of "a friend in need is a friend indeed". 

Peña expressed appreciation for the mutual assistance and support of the two countries in the virus fight, and said she looks forward to more technological exchanges with China as a reference for her country's response to the epidemic.

Government representatives and experts from both sides fully exchanged views on specific issues such as the pandemic situation, prevention and control measures, case testing and treatment, and vaccine research and development. 

They also expressed a willingness to strengthen technological exchanges and cooperation, work together to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges of health safety, and jointly build a global public health community.