CIDCA vice chairman speaks at 2018 High-level Meeting on China-Africa Health Cooperation

The opening ceremony of the 2018 High-level Meeting on China-Africa Health Cooperation was held at the National Convention Center on August 17, 2018. Deng Boqing, vice chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, delivered the following speech.

Honorable Ministers,

Ladies and gentlemen:

Good morning everyone! I am so pleased to attend the 2018 High-level Meeting on China-Africa Health Cooperation. On behalf of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations on the success of the meeting. A warm welcome to all the guests who have come from afar! 

By safeguarding the most basic right to life of human beings and embodying the warmest human care, the medical and health services have taken up a very noble cause. Health care cooperation has long been an important part of China-Africa cooperation. Whether it is the critical moments in an Ebola outbreak or the arrival of an extraordinarily serious natural disaster, China's medical assistance, including medical personnel, is sent immediately to the disaster area, a practice that has written countless wonderful chapters in the history of China-Africa friendly relations. 

For more than half a century, China has supported the development of African medical and health services as a prominent part of its assistance in Africa's development, always adhering to a true and sincere African policy and principle and providing African friends with medical and health assistance without any political conditions. China has built more than 130 medical and health facilities, provided more than 200 shipments of medical supplies, distributed 25,000 medical personnel including volunteers, and diagnosed and treated more than 280 million patients for African countries. Since the Johannesburg Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in 2015, China’s health assistance initiative has progressed smoothly. Forty-nine demonstration cooperation projects have been carried out between Chinese and African hospitals. China has trained 2,200 talents in the field of health and social security for Africa, and provided new anti-malarial drugs and continued medical assistance for maternal and child health care through the “China Vision”, all of which has taken China-Africa health cooperation to a new height.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The population of China and Africa accounts for one third of the world's. Strengthening health cooperation between China and Africa has important implications and far-reaching significance for the health and well-being of all mankind. In a few days, the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum will be held. China is willing to take this summit as an opportunity to continue expanding its medical and health assistance to Africa. Helping and developing together in the same boat, China will help its African friends to comprehensively improve their public health and self-development capabilities, and jointly build a clean, beautiful and healthy Africa. 

We are willing to help Africa build a basic health service system. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening. Reforming and innovating based on national conditions, the Chinese government has been increasing investment in health services over the past 40 years to ensure that the health care system was constantly improved. We are willing to share China's experience with our African friends without any reservations, and help African countries gradually establish a basic medical and health service system that is compatible with the national conditions and development stages of each country, and gradually improve people's health literacy.

We are willing to help African countries cope with major infectious diseases in a timely manner. Diseases have no borders, and no country is immune to them. China is willing to help Africa establish a public health system with “strain capacity", support the development of African CDCs and key African public health emergency capacity, strengthen cooperation between China and Africa in dealing with major public health events, and safeguard people's health and lives.

We are willing to work with Africa on key medical and health projects. China will further integrate medical and health assistance resources, focus on upgrading and reconstructing China-Africa friendly hospitals, and upgrade hardware facilities. At the same time, it will cooperate with Africa in doctors' dispatch, medical training, and hospital operations to build China-Africa friendly hospitals to a high level so as to provide better medical service to all Africans.

We are willing to work with Africa to create more medical cooperation brands. China will continue promoting “China Vision" activities and providing antimalarial drugs such as artemisinin to Africa, so that cooperation can benefit more ordinary people and promote the commonweal of China and Africa. China will also provide medical and health projects for vulnerable groups such as women, children and the disabled in Africa in light of local needs and improve the level of precision in medical and health assistance.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

China and Africa have always shared a common destiny. Promoting China-Africa health cooperation in the new era is an inevitable requirement for the development of China-Africa relations and a common responsibility for safeguarding the health of the people of China and Africa. Let us cooperate with and support each other to jointly write a new chapter in the future of China-Africa medical cooperation. 

I wish success for the 2018 High-level Meeting on China-Africa Health Cooperation! Thank you!