China Planning National Biosecurity Law, Special Medics Force

Stung by the severity of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak, the Chinese government plans to bring in a biosecurity law and establish a legal system to secure national biosecurity by setting up a dedicated force of medical personnel trained in handling epidemics.

Wu Qian, a spokesperson at the Ministry of National Defense, declined to directly comment on the experts' opinions, but he said that the COVID-19 epidemic highlights the importance of biosecurity.

“The COVID-19 outbreak shows that China is not fully prepared to efficiently deal with a biological disaster or even potential warfare, which can have as great an impact as a conventional regional war,” Chinese experts were quoted as saying by Global Times on Monday.

“China has decided to include biosecurity into its national security system, systematically plan the construction of national biosecurity risk control and management system and comprehensively boost the country's capability to govern national biosecurity in a bid to safeguard public health, ensure national security and safeguard the country's long-term peace and stability,” said Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China.