BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday defended
its medical quarantine of some passengers who had traveled on the same flight
with a Mexican man who was infected with influenza A/H1N1.
"The measures concerned are not targeted at Mexican
citizens and there is no discrimination," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma
Zhaoxu in a press release.
"This is purely a medical quarantine issue," Ma said,
adding China understood Mexico's concern over the rights and interests of its
citizens in China.
Ma's comments came in response to Mexican Foreign
Minister Patricia Espinosa Cantellano's remarks on Saturday. Espinosa said
China's quarantine of some Mexican citizens with no symptoms of the virus was
discriminatory and short of scientific evidence.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry had reminded Mexican
citizens not to travel to China until it corrected the discriminatory measures.
Ma said China hoped Mexico would be understanding of
the measures adopted by China and handle this matter objectively and calmly
given the overall situation of jointly addressing the epidemic.
He also emphasized that China and Mexico were
friendly countries and China attached great importance to diplomatic relations
with Mexico.
"China is willing to enhance cooperation with Mexico
and make joint efforts to combat the epidemic situation," said Ma.
A 25-year-old Mexican man, who arrived in Shanghai
last Thursday aboard flight AeroMexico 098, was later diagnosed within influenza
A/H1N1 in Hong Kong.
The Mexican became Hong Kong's first confirmed case
of influenza A/H1N1 infection Friday. It was also the first such casein Asia.
All the 176 passengers and 13 crew aboard have been
located and those who remained in China have been quarantined.
The week-long quarantine in Shanghai affected 68
people, including 48 passengers whose destination was Shanghai, seven who
intended to go on to other destinations, and 13 crew members.
Xu Jianguang, head of Shanghai municipal
health bureau, speaks at a press conference in Shanghai, east China, May
3, 2009. Sixty-eight people who were on the same Mexico City-Shanghai
flight with a Mexican national later diagnosed with influenza A/H1N1 in
Hong Kong, have been located and are in quarantine in Shanghai, health
officials told reporters Sunday. None have displayed any flu symptoms,
according to Xu Jianguang. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- None of the passengers
quarantined in China who took the same flight with a Mexican national later
diagnosed with influenza A/H1N1 in Hong Kong had shown flu symptoms as of Sunday
noon, China's health ministry said.
All the passengers aboard Thursday's Mexican flight
Aeromexico 098 from Mexico City to Shanghai have been located and those who
remained in China were quarantined, the ministry said. Full story
