Xi's visit will push Sino-US medical co-op
- By Zhou Jun
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 26, 2015
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US President Barack Obama (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a joint news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington September 25, 2015. |
Chinese President Xi Jinping began his state visit to the U.S. on Tuesday, and has currently elevated Sino-U.S. relations to the international spotlight. During the trip, Xi is expected to share his views on different issues, including regional and international issues, as well as domestic and diplomatic policies.
Economic and trade cooperation is always the foundation of bilateral relations. Just as State Councilor Yang Jiechi said that economic and trade cooperation is a "propeller" of Sino-U.S. relations. In 2014, the trade volume of the two countries set a record of US$555.1 billion, and investment stocks surpassed US$120 billion.
With the growing bilateral economic and trade cooperation, cooperation in the field of medical treatment and public health is an important part. It not only brings a win-win result in economic areas, but also promotes technological innovation in the two countries, while improving people's health.
With China's urbanization, aging process, and development of the middle class, market demands on the medical service industry are increasing rapidly. In the past decade, China's compound average growth rate of total health consumption has stayed at 17 percent. The U.S. public health industry and institutions have become the backbone which meets the needs of the Chinese market. Meanwhile, exchange and cooperation between the two sides has also promoted technological development in China's healthcare industry.
Health and medicine are the priority for technological development in all countries, including China. The U.S. has the world's most advanced technology and innovation in medical information, precision medicine, chronic disease prevention and control, and in many other fields. Bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and China, such as exchange of visits, talent communication and project co-construction, has become an effective way to promote Chinese medical professional training.
In January 2011, during the Summit between then Chinese President Hu Jintao and the U.S. President Barack Obama, China's National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), the Ministry of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a joint communiqué on the China-U.S. Public and Private Partnership on Healthcare (PPPH), in order to promote healthcare cooperation between the two countries.
Under the framework of the joint statement, both countries supported the establishment of the U.S.-China Healthcare Cooperation Program (HCP). The program is aimed at building closer working relations between Chinese and the U.S. governments while leveraging healthcare industry strengths in order to foster long-term cooperation in the areas of public health, policy research, training, R&D and technology.
During the past four and half years since the HCP was established, exchange and communication between the two sides has become more frequent and thorough. Each year, medical and healthcare seminars are held in both countries, hundreds of doctors pay exchange visits, and training programs are held for health care managers. Meanwhile, bilateral communication and cooperation also encourage the two countries to make more contributions to infectious disease prevention and control, medical information, medical services, and technological innovations across the world.
After this state visit to the U.S., Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend summits marking the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. Healthcare is one of the main elements of the UN's sustainable development goals after 2015. We believe that in future, China and the U.S. will strengthen and widen their communication and cooperation in medical treatment and the healthcare industry to support the world's healthcare governance, and other countries' economic and social development.
The writer is an executive director of the U.S.-China Healthcare Cooperation Program (HCP).
The article was written in Chinese and translated by Lin Liyao.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn
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