SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov met with the Chairman of Sinopharm, a major Chinese pharmaceutical corporation, Liu Jingzhen, on 1 April.
They exchanged views on the epidemiological situation around the world and the measures being adopted by the SCO member states to combat COVID-19.
The Secretary-General noted that he highly appreciated the steps taken by the Chinese Government during the pandemic outbreak and he praised their super effectiveness amid the widely spreading disease. He stressed Sinopharm's energetic efforts to send 4,500 of its frontline medical staff to Hubei Province during the early days of the quarantine.
Given the current negative dynamics of the ever spreading coronavirus and the need to take precautions to counter this threat, Vladimir Norov noted the importance of creating innovative crisis response mechanisms to unexpected challenges and risks in the epidemiological sphere.
In turn, the chairman of Sinopharm Corporation thanked the SCO for supporting China as it was combating the spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, in particular, providing objective coverage in the media. Liu Jingzhen noted the SCO's role as a large regional association with a focus on healthcare.
The chairman of the holding company informed the Secretary-General about the steps taken by the corporation to fight COVID-19 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, as well as about this pharmaceutical juggernaut's energetic international efforts. He also pointed out the company's success in developing medicine and innovative methods for diagnosing the coronavirus.
Liu Jingzhen expressed the company's readiness to cooperate with the SCO countries in countering the spread of COVID-19 and to supply the necessary pharmaceutical products.
The parties agreed to maintain contacts.
Sinopharm (China National Pharmaceutical Group) is a major pharmaceutical group of companies founded in 1998. The corporation operates through more than 1,400 subsidiary companies with 150,000 employees and 6 registered companies. In 2019, the holding company's operating income amounted to nearly 500 billion yuan (169th place on the Fortune Global 500 list).
To treat diseases caused by the coronavirus, Sinopharm produces 91 types of medicine (out of 105 produced in China) with a 94-percent positive effect. The corporation has developed proprietary tests for COVID-19, which are widely used in China and internationally, with about 1 million units shipped abroad.