China is ready to share information and experiences with the international community on animal disease surveillance and control regarding either bird flu or the blue ear pig disease, according to an official of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

FAO animal health expert Vincent Martin said on Friday that he did not agree with some Western media reports, which suggested the Chinese government was reluctant to report outbreaks of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), more commonly known as blue ear pig disease, and was unwilling to share information on the disease, found so far in China and Vietnam, with the international community.

Martin is in the Thai capital to attend a two-day FAO emergency workshop opening today on PRRS.

Martin said the body is "very satisfied" with the Chinese government's cooperation on disease control.

He said that the World Organization for Animal Health and the FAO have been kept informed by the Chinese government on the progress of the disease since the first cases of PRRS were detected in the summer of 2006.

Earlier this month, Martin had visited Sichuan Province and the nearby Chongqing, which are among the worst-affected areas.

"From what I've seen there, the epidemic seems to be receding across the country, and the situation is much better now," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2007)