The 76th World Health Assembly opens in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 21. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By Staff Reporters

The Chinese delegation to the World Health Assembly (WHA) held a media briefing in Geneva on May 20, saying that it will fully participate in the deliberations on more than 70 topics this year, including prevention and response to public health emergencies, universal health coverage, non-communicable diseases, and the 2024-2025 planning and budgeting programme.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of Chinese medical teams to foreign countries. Over the past 60 years, China has sent 30,000 medical team members to 76 countries and regions around the world, treating more than 290 million patients.

Cao Xuetao, deputy director of National Health Commission of China, said that China and the international community are working together to fight infectious disease epidemics and safeguard human health. To combat epidemics, for example, during 2014 and 2015, China sent more than 1,200 clinical and public health experts to assist West African countries in controlling the Ebola epidemic.

Since the outbreak of COVID -19, Cao said China has maintained close communication with WHO and relevant countries and regions, timeously and openly shared information on the epidemic, conducted in-depth technical exchanges on the prevention and control of the epidemic, and shared its experience in fighting the epidemic with all parties without reservation.

China has vigorously developed its health and wellness programs, and life expectancy per capita has increased from 35 years at the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to 78.2 years in 2021. It has eradicated infectious diseases such as smallpox, polio and malaria.