On 30 October, 2014, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yanbo signed a exchange of letter on China's construction of a bio-safety level Ⅲ laboratory for Sierra Leone with Mr. Keifala Marah, Sierra Leonean Minister of Finance and Economic Development. Mr. Zou Xiaoming, Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy attended the ceremony.
Ambassador Zhao stated that in order to help Sierra Leone contain Ebola, China provided a mobile bio-safety level Ⅲ laboratory last month to Sierra Leone to scale up the testing of blood samples to cut off the transmission chain of Ebola. Meanwhile, China also focused on the long-term needs of Sierra Leone, and decided to construct a permanent fixed bio-safety level Ⅲ laboratory for the country to strengthen its capability on infectious disease control. He also briefed Minister Marah on the 4th batch of China's assistance to Western African countries to combat Ebola.
Minister Marah expressed his deep appreciation for China's timely and much-needed support to Sierra Leone in fighting against Ebola. He emphasized that China's continuous support demonstrated that China attached great importance to bilateral relations, which the Sierra Leonean government and people will never forget. He stated that the mobile bio-safety level Ⅲ laboratory provided by China has improved its blood sample testing capability and helped Sierra Leone take timely intervention to contain Ebola. He believed that the fixed bio-safety level Ⅲ laboratory would contribute to Sierra Leone's capability on infectious disease control.