China’s contributions to global health considerable

Dennis V.Hickey

For most of the 19th and much of the 20th century， China was called，“the sick man of Asia”. But those days are over. As President Xi Jinping observed， “China has bid farewell to the problems that plagued its people for thousands of years， including hunger， shortages and poverty.”

China’s ascendency is generating some questions. One question centers on the country’s role in global health. This is because China is making rapid progress in all four primary domains of global health-health aid， health security， health governance and health information exchange.

In the past decades， the world has confronted periodic crises generated by infectious disease. Each has cost countless lives and billions of US dollars to combat. Given the situation， China has invested in various initiatives designed to detect emerging health threats early， develop and stockpile vaccines and drugs， and establish more robust health systems to deliver preventive tools and cures.

Since the early 2000s， China has played a more active role in global health governance. The country participates in all of the United Nations’ specialized bodies relating to health-including WHO， UNICEF， UNFPA， UNAIDS-and other multilateral health forums.

With respect to health information exchange， China has much to share with the world-particularly knowledge about its spectacular health care accomplishments. For example， more than 95 percent of China’s population now enjoys basic health care coverage. And life expectancy has climbed to 76.7 years compared with 35 years in the 1940s.

China’s successes in controlling tropical disease， reducing infant mortality， containing malaria and schistosomiasis， and battling deadly infectious diseases （particularly tuberculosis） are truly remarkable and deserving of study as valuable lessons for the global community.

In sum， five decades after China launched a modest health assistance initiative in Algeria， it has made rapid progress in each domain of global health. In many respects， the country has followed its own distinctive approach in each area. As Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus， director-general of WHO， observed， this is good news because “we can all learn something from China”.

The author is a distinguished professor and the James F. Morris endowed professor of Political Science at Missouri State University.