Chinese scientists should strengthen the links between themselves and their foreign counterparts to expedite research on the SARS coronavirus, a World Health Organization (WHO) specialist urged yesterday.

Speaking in Beijing during a press conference, the WHO's Pierre Formenty congratulated Chinese scientists for the obvious progress they had made.

"But there is a need for more and better co-ordination among Chinese scientists and between China and the outside world," the zoonotic disease expert said.

Formenty is one of the heads of a joint team of Chinese Government, WHO and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization officials which returned from the nation's south on Tuesday.

The 14-member team - with eight WHO representatives and six domestic experts - conducted a week-long investigation into the possible animal carriers of the SARS coronavirus in Guangdong Province, where the disease was first seen in November.

A range of scientific institutes from different departments and from throughout China should seek unity in research on the flu-like virus, pinpointing what they can do themselves and where co-ordination is needed, Yi Guan, a Hong Kong-based expert from the team, told China Daily.

The Chinese Government's attitude towards fighting SARS and relevant research is positive and the State Council has set up a leading office in the Ministry of Science and Technology to organize the local research.

However, the research should be better designed and planned as a whole by the authorities and experts to strengthen co-ordination between domestic scientists and the rest of the world, Yi said.

Yesterday's press briefing came after a meeting between the inspection team and several different ministries in the national capital.

At the meeting, the team issued a series of recommendations and an action plan to not only try to identify the disease's animal carriers, but to contain any future outbreaks.

"We recognized the need for increased research co-ordination, and will earnestly consider the recommendations and try to improve our work," Qi Qingdong, a division chief of the International Co-operation Department of the Ministry of Health, said.

(China Daily 08/22/2003 page1)