Beijing – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday assured that China would continue to support UN health agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) .
He gave the assurance when he met with the new Head of the Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Keqiang congratulated Ghebreyesus on his appointment as the first African WHO director-general, saying that the gesture was of great significance to promote healthcare in developing countries.
“China attaches great importance to the role WHO has played in coordinating global healthcare affairs and promoting the development of healthcare worldwide,” Li told Tedros during their meeting in Beijing.
“China will continue to actively support the work of WHO and is ready to enhance cooperation with WHO in areas including the Belt and Road Initiative,’’ he said.
The premier said China would speed up the establishment of a basic medical and healthcare system with Chinese characteristic that covered all rural and urban citizens.
He expressed hope that WHO would continue to support China’s healthcare reform.
Tedros said China had undergone a large-scale, fast and high-quality healthcare system reform which was instructive and inspiring to many other countries.
He said WHO appreciated the efforts the Chinese government had made to global healthcare development and its contribution in addressing public health emergencies including the Ebola epidemic and H1N1 flu virus.
Tedros also said that WHO was willing to enhance its strategic cooperation with China.
The Ethiopian former health minister and foreign minister, took office on July 1, succeeding Dr Margaret Chan, from Hong Kong, who had held office since January 2007.
He was elected at the 70th World Health Assembly in May.
It was the first time that WHO had chosen its top officer from multiple candidates.
Chinese vice Premier, Liu Yandong, also met with Tedros, and they both attended a Belt and Road high-level meeting for health cooperation.
Addressing the meeting, Liu called on countries along the Belt and Road to cement health cooperation, coordinate health policies, strengthen joint prevention, control of infectious diseases, and enhance capabilities in responding to public health emergencies. (Xinhua/NAN)