As the United States' second largest trading partner, China was also a huge market for the the country's health care industry, Christopher A. Padilla, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, said on Friday.

He highlighted the achievements China had made during its "remarkable transformation", while noting the Chinese government had committed to allocate 12 billion U.S. dollars to health care in 2008.

Life expectancy in the country had increased and infant and material mortality rates had decreased substantially with the transformation, he said.

Padilla, who was leading a group of health care executives to China, also met with government officials from the ministries of health, finance and human resources and social security and discussed the upcoming health care system reforms in the country.

He said a good understanding of the country's policy environment would enable the U.S. health care industry to more easily compete in China.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2008)