Peking University, May 22, 2020: On May 19, Peking University, together with ASEAN-China Center and Mahidol University, held a video conference with members of China-ASEAN University Consortium on Medicine and Health to share experience in fighting against COVID-19. The theme of the video conference was “Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention and Control of COVID-19”. Chen Dehai, secretary-general of ASEAN-China Center, Zhan Qimin, executive vice president of Peking University and president of PKU Health Science Center, and Prasit Watanapa, dean of Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital of Mahidol University attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches at the video conference. Eighteen Chinese universities and 22 universities from ASEAN countries joined the conference.

Chen Dehai said that the cooperation in fighting against COVID-19 has fully demonstrated the strategic significance of the relationship between China and ASEAN countries. Chen hoped that these countries could continually make use of the consortium and actively cooperate with each other in prevention and control of the disease, clinical diagnosis and treatment, vaccine research and development, personnel training and so on. He believed that with close collaboration, China and ASEAN countries will finally overcome the pandemic.

Chen Dehai

Zhan Qimin said that all Chinese universities including PKU in the consortium have actively participated in fighting against COVID-19. Colleges and universities should fully play the role of think tanks to help overcome the pandemic. Zhan also reiterated the original intention of establishing the consortium and hoped that it could promote scientific research and academic exchanges to jointly face the regional and global challenges.

Zhan Qimin

Prasit Watanapa said that COVID-19 has manifested the idea of “disease without borders”. He also pointed out that members of the consortium should share information, relevant treatment experience, development of specific medicine and vaccines with each other. He hoped that China’s experience in fighting against the pandemic shared at the video conference could help other countries better control and overcome this pandemic.

Prasit Watanapa

Medical experts from various countries also shared their experience and said that this online conference was timely and helpful.