China will deploy a specialized team of medical experts to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to assist with a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced on Monday.
The Chinese government has decided to provide immediate emergency humanitarian assistance to the DRC, sending expert teams to offer frontline clinical services, containment guidance, and medical logistics support to the affected regions.
“We feel for the DRC over the latest outbreak of Ebola,” Lin told reporters in Beijing. “As we speak, Chinese medical teams are on the ground fighting the disease shoulder-to-shoulder with African people.”
The deployment addresses a major health crisis caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 16.
In May, The United Nations said its releasing approximately $60 million from its emergency fund to combat the rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in DRC as confirmed cases reached 282 with 42 deaths, while cumulative suspected cases have surged past 1,000.
The infection is heavily concentrated across three eastern Congolese provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. This specific viral strain complicates containment because existing vaccines were developed for the Zaire ebolavirus.
In addition to direct bilateral support to the DRC, Beijing is providing specialized resources to the African Union Commission and collaborating with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The intervention comes as international friction mounts over travel border policies. Western nations, including the United States and Canada, recently imposed strict travel restrictions and visa suspensions for residents from the region.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus strongly criticized these unilateral measures, urging countries that have closed their borders or restricted travel following the central African outbreak to immediately reconsider their containment strategies.
Lin reiterated that China intends to maintain its long-term humanitarian commitments, noting that Beijing will continue to provide health assistance to the Congolese government to the absolute best of its ability.
In May, The United Nations said its releasing approximately $60 million from its emergency fund to combat the rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in DRC as confirmed cases reached 282 with 42 deaths.
