NHC senior officials call for further health cooperation with ASEAN nations

Ma Xiaowei, minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), and Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of the NHC, led a delegation to the 8th ASEAN-China Health Ministers Meeting and the 9th ASEAN and Plus Three Health Ministers Meeting, which were held via video link on May 15.

Ma delivered a video speech at the 8th ASEAN-China Health Ministers Meeting, reviewing the achievements of China-ASEAN health cooperation in the past two years. He said China and the ASEAN are facing increasing common challenges, and called on both sides to continue to strengthen exchanges and collaboration, take concerted actions, better safeguard people's health and promote the "Healthy Silk Road" so as to contribute to building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Zeng attended the meetings online and spoke on the themes of promoting the "One Health Approach" to prevent and respond to pandemics, and optimizing the allocation of basic health resources to respond to public health crises. He also shared China's relevant experiences and practices and said that China is willing to continue to strengthen cooperation and jointly safeguard regional health security in accordance with the needs of the ASEAN.

The ASEAN nations highly praised China's important role in global and regional health cooperation, as well as the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, appreciated China's support and help, and said they hope to further China-ASEAN health collaboration to jointly cope with the threats brought by infectious diseases and create a better and healthy future.

Joint statements were adopted at the two meetings. Other participants included ministerial-level officials of the ministries of health of 10 ASEAN nations, Japan and South Korea and the deputy secretary general of the ASEAN Secretariat.