Sun Zhigang, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), led a delegation to visit Austria, Greece and Switzerland from October 9 to 18 at the invitation of the Austrian Health Ministry, Austrian Agency for European Integration and Economic Development, the Greek Health Ministry and Federal Department of Home Affairs of Swiss.

During his visit in Austria, Sun signed an agreement of medical and health cooperation with Heidrun Zanetta, Austrian Agency for European Integration and Economic Development. He met with Gehard Aigner, vice-minister of the Austrian Health Ministry, and attended a seminar on the Sino-Austrian health system and a round table of Sino-Austrian medical insurance and health emergency. He also had talks with the CFO of the board of the Vienna hospital management commission and the director of the Vienna Danube hospital.

During his visit in Greece, he met with Mavroudis Voridis, minister of the Greek Health Ministry. At a seminar on the Greek health system, Sun listened to an introduction of Greek healthcare reform presented by the vice-president of the Greek school of public health, vice-CEO of Attika and secretary of state for public health. Sun exchanged ideas with the participants on medical insurance and medicine policy. After the seminar, Sun visited Children's Cancer Hospital in Athens and talked with its heads about hospital financial management, medical quality management and medical staff motivation.