Jia Youling, national chief veterinary officer, made the remarks in response to a UN official's comments on China's achievements in the fight against bird flu.

David Nabarro, UN system senior coordinator for avian and human influenza, said last week that he was satisfied with China's efforts to fight bird flu and the United Nations expected China to contribute more still to the global fight with its experience and knowledge.

Jia, also director of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the Chinese government urged the international community to enhance cooperation in fighting the disease and China would support multi-lateral cooperation in the United Nations.

Jia went on to say that China had improved emergency information flow, stepped up epidemic monitoring and immunization, improved scientific research, instituted a support policy for the poultry industry, and increased international cooperation.

China had designed and developed new bird flu vaccines, which had been exported to many countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Egypt and Iraq.

The country also strengthened contacts with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization (WHO) in prevention and containment and reported China's disease records to these organizations on time, Jia noted.

China has offered five bird flu virus samples to the WHO.

Moreover, Jia said, the world needs to cooperate further as the virus -- already reported in 20 countries -- spreads.