Beijing hosts 2014 National Working Meeting on Foreign Affairs in the Healthcare and Family Planning Sector

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-06-25

On June 6, 2014, the National Working Meeting on Foreign Affairs in the Healthcare and Family Planning Sector was held in Beijing.

  Vice-minister Ma Xiaowei

The meeting comprehensively summarized the work of foreign affairs in the previous stage, held an in-depth analysis of the domestic and international situations, clearly defined the overall requirements and major tasks for the work of foreign affairs in the healthcare and family planning sector in the coming period, and deployed major works for the next stage.

Li Bin, minister and secretary of the Party group of the NHFPC, made some important instructions. Ma Xiaowei, vice-minister of the NHFPC, attended the meeting and delivered the work report.

In the instructions, Li Bin pointed out that, in the past three years, the work of foreign affairs in the healthcare and family planning sector had been carried out, witnessing new progress in foreign exchange and cooperation.

Li said that foreign affairs cadres in the healthcare and family planning sector should, under the guidance of the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC, conscientiously implement the spirit of the important speech made by General Secretary Xi Jinping while receiving the Chinese overseas medical team. They should do a good job in international healthcare cooperation as required by Premier Li Keqiang and Vice-Premier Liu Yandong, and they should do a better job in foreign affairs in the healthcare and family planning sector.

Foreign affairs cadres in the healthcare and family planning sector should actively participate in healthcare-and-population-related global affairs; make efforts in health-related foreign aid in an innovative way; strengthen the management of foreign affairs and team capacity building; and make contributions to the development of healthcare, family planning and the Chinese dream, Li said.

In his work report, Vice-Minister Ma Xiaowei fully affirmed the progress made in foreign affairs work in the healthcare and family planning sector. He pointed out that, in the past three years, the work of foreign affairs in the healthcare and family planning sector had been acting in concert with China’s overall foreign affairs and participating, in a comprehensive and in-depth manner, in global and regional healthcare and population affairs, thus increasing China’s discourse power and influence.

The work of sending Chinese medical teams overseas has been strengthened and solidified, and south-south cooperation in the healthcare and family planning sector has been expanded. International cooperation projects have been implemented in an in-depth manner, thus promoting innovative development of China’s healthcare and family planning, Ma said.

According to Ma’s report, channels had been expanded to increase cooperation and exchanges in healthcare between the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. The management of going abroad on business has been strengthened, and the level of managing foreign-affairs-related work has been enhanced.

Ma Xiaowei stressed that, under new situations and circumstances, the work of foreign affairs in the healthcare and family planning sector should always be guided by the principle of coordinating the domestic situation and international situation, serving the objectives of China’s overall foreign policy, and serving the work of healthcare and family planning in China.

The reform and development of the healthcare sector and the adjustment and improvement of the birth control policy should be highlighted. Unified planning should be made to see an orderly multi-element and three-dimensional pattern of international cooperation in the healthcare and family planning sector.

Ma said that the participation in global healthcare and population affairs should be further expanded. Regional cooperation and cooperation with China’s neighbors should be solidified. Bilateral cooperation in healthcare and family planning should be deepened. The potential of international cooperation projects should be fully tapped so as to boost the innovative development of healthcare and family planning in China.

He demanded that all units all over the country provide stronger organization and leadership for the work of foreign affairs in healthcare and family planning. In the spirit of reform and innovation, all parties should work hard in foreign affairs and strengthen the construction of institutions in the healthcare and family planning sector and the capacity building of cadre teams.

In the meeting, Professor Yang Jiemian from the Shanghai Institute for International Studies was invited to give a report on the international situation. Representatives from the Liaoning Health and Family Planning Commission, the people’s government of Taicang city, Jiangsu province, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Peking Union Medical College Hospital briefed the audience on efforts to strengthen the work of the Chinese overseas medical team, the south-south cooperation in the population field, self-improvement and participation in global health action, and the implementation of the “Brightness Action” in Ethiopia.

Among those present in the opening ceremony was He Min, vice-governor of Liaoning province, who made a speech. More than 180 representatives from the health and family planning commissions (department or bureaus of health and population and family planning commissions) in all the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government; cities specifically designated in the State plan and Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps; departments and bureaus of the NHFPC and units directly under the NHFPC; the State Food and Drug Administration; the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and the Health Division of the PLA General Logistics Department were present.