Online China and ASEAN Tabletop Exercise on Preservation and Use of Pathogenic Microorganism Resources Successfully Held

On 22 August 2025, the Global Public Health Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) hosted an online China and ASEAN tabletop exercise on the preservation and use of pathogenic microorganism resources. The event was co organised by the Division of Laboratory Management, which also serves as the National Pathogen Microorganism Culture Collection Center and the National Pathogen Microbial Resource Bank. Seventy two technical experts from ten countries, namely China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand, took part in the exercise. The tabletop exercise was chaired by Qi Xiaopeng, Director of the Global Public Health Center. Wang Jianwei, Director of China CDC, attended the opening session and delivered remarks.

In his address, Director Wang stressed two key points. First, work on preserving pathogenic microorganism resources must always give top priority to biosafety. Second, it is important to make full and appropriate use of these resources so that they can better support the prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging major infectious diseases and related research. The one day exercise was organised around four thematic units: financing and sustainable operation, biosafety and biosecurity, digital transformation and the development of consensus mechanisms. Through scenario design, simulation and full interactive participation, the event strengthened engagement and immersion and improved the overall effectiveness of the tabletop exercise. Associate Researcher Wang Lili of the Global Public Health Center and Professor Zhang Yaohong of Shanghai Jiao Tong University served as exercise facilitators. Five experts attended on site at China CDC as discussants: Wu Linhuan, Deputy Director of the National Microbiology Data Center at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr Kim Wee Ric, Senior Officer at the Biobank of the National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health of Malaysia; Dr Nancy Tee, Director of the Public Health Laboratory of Singapore’s disease control authority; Dr Dewi Nur Aisyah, Technical Adviser on digital transformation for disease control at the Ministry of Health of Indonesia; and Dr Zisis Kozlakidis, Head of the Laboratory and Biobank at the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The tabletop exercise was a concrete step in responding to the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Biosafety and Biosecurity and in advancing the China and ASEAN Strategic Partnership Action Plan for the period from 2021 to 2025. It also formed part of the international cooperation framework between China CDC and the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO IARC) in the field of biological resources, and demonstrated China’s technical support for the development of the World Health Organization Global Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System (PABS).

Director Wang Jianwei delivering remarks

Group photo of tabletop exercise participants

Group photo of Chinese participants with domestic and international experts