NHC minister meets with WHO assistant director-general

On July 19, Lei Haichao, minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), met with World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director-General Li Ailan in Beijing. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on further strengthening exchanges and cooperation.

Lei briefed Li on the guiding principles of the third plenum of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, as well as the goals and tasks of China's health reform over the next five years. He said that the Chinese government will take more effective measures to deepen the reform of the medical system, promote high-quality population development and advance Chinese modernization.

He noted that China has maintained a good long-term cooperative relationship with the WHO, adding that the country will continue to support the WHO in playing a leading and coordinating role in global health affairs.

China hopes to find new models of cooperation, explore new areas of collaboration, enhance cooperation in human resources development and share its experience in the development of health undertakings through the platform of the WHO, so as to promote the building of a global community of health for all, he said.

Li thanked the Chinese side for introducing the guiding principles of the third plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee, highly acclaimed China's achievements in the development of health undertakings and its significant contributions to global health endeavors, and expressed gratitude to China for its long-term support for multilateralism and the WHO.

The WHO is willing to work together with China to elevate bilateral cooperation to a new level, making contributions to the implementation of the Healthy China Initiative and development of global health endeavors, she said.