The Congressional-Executive Commission on China held another in its series of staff-led Issues Roundtables, entitled “China’s Response to Avian Flu: Steps Taken, Challenges Remaining” on Friday, February 24, 2006, from 2 - 3:30 PM in Room 2200 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Chinese authorities recorded over 30 outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry stocks in 2005, and have also confirmed 11 human cases of bird flu since November 2005. In response, the central government has appropriated over US $200 million for the creation of a nationwide avian flu command center, initiated avian flu emergency management plans, and reported outbreaks to international health organizations in a generally timely manner. Local officials have also culled and vaccinated millions of poultry in affected areas. Still, health experts consider China to be one of the prime incubators for a potential human influenza pandemic. Concerns also exist about the degree of transparency in Chinese government reporting on some of the outbreaks.

The panelists addressed each of these issues and discussed efforts by American health and agriculture officials to assist their Chinese counterparts.

The panelists were:

Dr. John R. Clifford, Deputy Administrator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services' (APHIS) Veterinary Services program, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services, Dr. Clifford is USDA's Chief Veterinary Officer. In this position, he provides leadership for safeguarding U.S. animal health and is the United States' representative to the International Animal Health Organization, or the OIE.  Before becoming Deputy Administrator in May 2004, Dr. Clifford served as Acting Deputy Administrator of Veterinary Services. He also served as the Associate Deputy Administrator of Veterinary Services' National Animal Health Policy and Programs staff, where he led efforts to protect, sustain, and improve the productivity, marketability, and the health of the nation's animals, animal products, and biologics.

Ms. Erika Elvander, Office of Asia and the Pacific, Office of Global Health Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Erika Elvander has coordinated East Asia and Pacific policy since 2001 for the Office of Global Health Affairs, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She currently focuses on bilateral and multilateral U.S. health cooperation with a number of key countries in the region, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S. territories in the Pacific and with the Freely Associated States. The bilateral activities touch on a number of important disease issues, but recently have included Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), HIV/AIDS, pandemic and avian influenza, and tuberculosis. 

Dr. Bates Gill, Freeman Chair in China Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Dr. Gill has held the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies since July 2002.  He previously served as a Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies and inaugural Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution.  A specialist in East Asian foreign policy and politics, his research focuses primarily on Northeast Asian political and social issues, especially with regard to China.  His current projects focus on U.S.-China-European Union relations, on China as a growing influence in Asian regional affairs, and on China’s challenging domestic policy agenda, especially with regard to the social safety net and China’s HIV/AIDS crisis.