On Dec 12, Zheng Zhe, vice-minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), met in Beijing with a delegation led by Mathume Joseph Phaahla, deputy minister of health of South Africa, who was in China to attend the 4th Meeting of the China-South Africa High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism. The two sides exchanged views on deepening health exchanges and cooperation.

Zheng introduced the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He affirmed the health collaboration between the two countries and expressed the willingness to work with South Africa to implement the Partnership Action for Health proposed at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

He also called for efforts to deepen exchanges and cooperation in such areas as prevention and control of major chronic diseases and infectious diseases and traditional medicine and strengthen cooperation under the frameworks including the World Health Organization, the G20 and BRICS, so as to promote the building of a global community of health for all.

Phaahla spoke highly of China's achievements in the health sector, and said South Africa is ready to work with China to enhance exchanges and deepen cooperation to jointly promote the health and well-being of the two peoples.