Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), met with Harvey V. Fineberg, chair of the China Medical Board (CMB), an independent American foundation, on March 21 in Beijing. The pair discussed strengthening exchanges and cooperation in health.

Zeng affirmed the CMB's role as a vital bridge in promoting non-governmental health as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the United States.

He said China has preliminarily established a medical education system with Chinese characteristics, involving academic medical education, postgraduate education and continuing medical education, and expressed hope that the CMB will support China in advancing the reform and development of medical education.

He proposed expanding bilateral cooperation in medical education to cover more areas of mutual interest, such as aging population response and adolescent mental health, so as to better meet public needs.

Fineberg said the CMB values collaboration with China and is willing to further bilateral exchanges in medicine, nursing, public health and global health to help cultivate high-level medical talent.