Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), attends the 5th meeting of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) Facilitation Council via video link on March 23. [Photo/nhc.gov.cn]

The 5th meeting of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) Facilitation Council was jointly hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission on March 23. Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), participated in the meeting via video link.

Zeng expressed support for the WHO's playing a leading and coordinating role in the promotion of cooperation among all parties in the research and development of drugs for COVID-19 treatment and the acceleration and evaluation of clinical trials. He said that China actively supports the ACT-A and the COVID-19 vaccine implementation plan, and is willing to make contributions to the equitable access to vaccines in developing countries.

The meeting welcomed the progress made by the ACT-A and called on all parties to strengthen public-private collaboration, take active measures to increase their production capacity of vaccines, medicines and diagnostic reagents and facilitate supply and fair distribution so as to contain the COVID-19 pandemic at an earlier stage with no one left behind.

The meeting also reiterated the hope that all parties would increase investment in the ACT-A to control the pandemic as soon as possible and ensure people's health and the recovery of economic and social activities.

Around 170 representatives, including those from members of the ACT-A Facilitation Council, the WHO and other relevant international and non-governmental organizations, attended the meeting. Delegates from responsible NHC departments, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva were also present.