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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Bangkok on Tuesday that the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) will not affect Sino-Singaporean relations.
Wen, who was attending the China-ASEAN special meeting on SARS, made the comment at a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart Goh Chok Tong.
Wen spoke highly of the all-round development of Sino-Singaporean relations, adding that China will continue to boost the friendly cooperation with Singapore.
He said that the outbreak of SARS, an epidemic which has affected many countries, is not only an unexpected disaster for China, but also a common challenge to the mankind.
The Chinese government has taken resolute measures to contain the spread of the deadly disease, he added.
Wen stressed that China is willing to cooperate with the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries on the prevention and treatment of SARS.
Speaking on the same occasion, Goh expressed his confidence that the Chinese government and people are capable of dealing with the SARS epidemic.
ASEAN countries are willing to cooperate with China to prevent the spread of the epidemic, and the cooperation in this regard is making progress, Goh said.
He hoped that an ASEAN-China cooperation mechanism of collectively coping with unexpected crisis, such as the outbreak of SARS, will be established after the special meeting.
(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2003)
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