Zhong Nanshan. (Photo: China Daily)

China and Russia plan to jointly carry out vaccine clinical trials, said a prominent Chinese respiratory disease expert in Guangzhou on Sunday.

"China and Russia actually have a lot to learn from each other," Zhong Nanshan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, made his remarks at an academic symposium on prevention and control of COVID-19 in Guangzhou, provincial capital of Guangdong.

"The death rate due to COVID-19 is below 1.7 percent in Russia, which is a very low rate,'" said Zhong.

"And some of the Russian technologies and strategies (in fighting against COVID-19) are worth learning, while China also has its unique technologies and methods to prevent and control the pandemic, particularly in the field of using traditional Chinese medicines," he said.

Zhong said he has noticed that Russia has recently achieved rapid progress in developing vaccines and China has plans to jointly conduct vaccine clinical trials with Russia.

The academic symposium held in Guangdong Pharmaceutical University was backed by the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange with the Ministry of Education and supported by Sino-Russian Alliance of Medical Universities.

Zhong said he had a great affection for his Russian counterparts and paid special attention on prevention and control of COVID-19 in the two countries.

The COVID-19 is still developing quickly in some countries and those nations should seize the opportunities to learn the experiences from Russia, Zhong said.

It is the first time the academic symposium was held in Guangdong, window of the country's reform and opening up.

Senior government officials and medical experts from both nations attended the symposium that has been aimed to further deepen cooperation and exchanges in fighting against the pandemic between the two countries.