On 31 Jan. 2015, the opening ceremony of CDC-WIV Joint Research Center for Emerging Diseases and Biosafety was held on the completion commemoration of National Biosafety Laboratory in Wuhan, CAS. Yu Wang, Director of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Xinwen Chen, Director of WIV, CAS, unveiled the plaque for the center. Zhu Chen, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Chairman of Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, Bin Li, Director of National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHFPC), and Chunli Bai, President of CAS witnessed this ceremony.

In order to implement the spirit of NHFPC and CAS on co-constructing and managing the National Biosafety Laboratory in Wuhan, CDC and WIV set up the joint research center. Under common management by the both sides, the research and management affairs of this center are incorporated into management systems of NHFPC and CAS. By relying on the joint research center, CDC and WIV will fully use their respective advantages, share resources and engage in joint research on emerging infectious diseases and biosafety.