Li Bin (center right), China's top health official, and Margret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, sign an action plan promoting cooperation between China and the WHO in Beijing on May 13.

An action plan promoting cooperation between China and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the health field along the Belt and Road was signed by Li Bin, minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, and Director-General of the WHO Margret Chan in Beijing on May 13.

According to the plan, the two sides will focus on the comprehensive improvement of public health in China and the countries along the Belt and Road.

Based on bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, China will conduct pragmatic cooperation with major partners at national, regional and global levels in order to promote the development of public health in the countries involved and build a "Health Silk Road" together with them.  

The action plan comes after the memorandum of understanding between the WHO and China on their joint work to improve people’s health conditions in the Belt and Road countries, which was signed in January at WHO headquarters in Geneva.