The third Sino-German Health Dialogue was held in Berlin on July 9. Ma Xiaowei, minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), and Jens Spahn, German Federal Minister of Health, attended the dialogue.

Ma noted that health is a key part of Sino-German cooperation. During the past 40 years of China’s reform and opening-up, German advanced medical management experience and high quality medical and health products contributed greatly to the development of China’s health industry. With the deepening of China’s opening-up, the two countries will have broad cooperation prospects in the health sector.

He introduced the construction of China’s community-level health care system, and hoped that the two nations will focus on the Sino-German framework agreement on health cooperation for the period 2018-2020, facing the challenge to the health care system caused by population aging.

Ma suggested that China and Germany should have further cooperation in chronic diseases management, medical staff training, medical treatment improvement and health industry development.

Spahn gave high grades to the achievement of Sino-German health cooperation. He introduced Germany’s measure of coping with population aging, and said “Germany is willing to further cooperate with China in long-term care insurance systems and the treatment of chronic senile diseases such as senile dementia.” 

Ma also attended the fifth round of Sino-German government consultations and delivered a speech on China’s health sector.