On May 29, Cao Xuetao, vice-minister of China’s National Health Commission (NHC), meets with Catharina Boehme and Jérôme Salomon, executive directors of the World Health Organization. [Photo/nhc.gov.cn]

On May 29, on the sidelines of the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, Cao Xuetao, head of the Chinese delegation and vice-minister of China’s National Health Commission (NHC), met with Catharina Boehme, assistant director-general of external relations and governance at the World Health Organization (WHO), and Jérôme Salomon, assistant director-general of universal health coverage, communicable and noncommunicable diseases at the WHO.

Cao spoke highly of the long-term friendly bilateral cooperation between the two sides, noting that China firmly supports the WHO in playing a leading and coordinating role in global health governance, and in its efforts to carry out necessary and reasonable reforms to continuously improve the efficiency of fund use and work performance.

China is ready to deepen cooperation with the WHO in such areas as health systems, disease prevention and control, maternal and child health, healthy aging, traditional medicine and personnel training, and to explore new models of collaboration on human resources while jointly promoting the building of a global community of health for all, he noted.

Boehme and Salomon praised the Chinese government's people-centered principle and China’s remarkable achievements in health development. They thanked China for its technical and financial support to the WHO, and said that the WHO collaborating centers in China have made full use of their technical expertise and played a positive role in promoting bilateral cooperation.

The two sides agreed to deepen collaboration through mutual visits, exchanges and projects.