China: new swine flu type 'relatively common'

China said the new type of swine flu some domestic researchers claimed might trigger a pandemic is "a relatively common virus".

The virus, named as G4, is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009, according to a study published Monday in the US scientific journal PNAS.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday the number of samples taken in the study was not large enough to be representative.

"The relevant departments and experts will continue to strengthen monitoring, warning and handling the situation," he said.