Li Bin, minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), met with Tom Harkin, president of the Commission of Hygiene, Education, Labor and Pension in the US Senate, on July 2 in Beijing.

Li praised the progress made by Sino-US hygiene cooperation and introduced the general situation of disease control and health services in China. China's basic national condition determines it must insist on prevention first as its principle, Li said. China and the US have had fruitful cooperation in the prevention and treatment of AIDS, tuberculosis and chronic diseases. Healthcare and scientific research institutions and universities also have also seen close cooperation. Li hoped that both sides would strengthen cooperation in the fields of contagious diseases, chronic diseases, and the research and development of vaccines.

Harkin appreciated the hygiene policies formulated by the Chinese government and expressed his gratitude to China's contribution to the elimination of poliomyelitis worldwide. He was willing to support further cooperation between the disease prevention institutions of the two nations.

Relevant persons from the departments of international cooperation and healthcare reform of the NHFPC, as well as the education, science, culture and public health committee of the National People's Congress, attended the meeting.