The Mexican government will buy 10 million doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccine from China, bringing its total stockpile to 30 million doses, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos said Wednesday.

A total of 20 million doses have been commissioned from European laboratories ahead of Mexico's winter season, when the infection rate is expected to increase sharply, he said.

Cordova said the Chinese vaccine will cost about 40 percent less than its European equivalents and is easier to apply.

Mexico has reported 20,860 confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases, including 179 deaths, according to a report published Tuesday.

During his official visit to China last week, Cordova met with his Chinese counterpart and attended a seminar on fighting A/H1N1 flu.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2009)