China has decided to relocate its national disease prevention and control center from downtown Beijing to an outskirtan area in a bid to improve its disease prevention capacity.

An official with the Planning Commission with the Beijing municipal government said that Baishan Township in Changping District had been selected as the site for the new center of disease control (CDC).

The Chinese central government made the decision to build a new CDC to house the existing one, including 11 research institutes in Beijing's city proper, said the official.

The officials further noted that the planned national CDC, which is expected to cost 1.52 billion yuan (nearly 200 million US dollars), was designed to raise the country's capacity to monitor and control contagious diseases and non-contagious chronic diseases, and guard against and prevent biological and chemical terrorist activities.

The new site will cover an area of 55 hectares with planned floor space totaling 170,000 square meters.

Construction of the center is expected to be completed before 2008.