Strengthen International Cooperation against Malaria and Jointly Build a Global Community of Health for All

Strengthen International Cooperation against Malaria and Jointly Build a Global Community of Health for All

Excellencies,

Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to attend the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All. At the outset, let me read the congratulatory message from President Xi Jinping:

"I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the opening of the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All, and a hearty welcome to all distinguished participants.

"Today is World Malaria Day. Malaria is a major public health challenge threatening the life and health of mankind. Artemisinin, an effective cure for the disease, was first discovered and successfully extracted by China. Since its discovery 50 years ago, artemisinin has played an instrumental role in eliminating malaria in China. At the same time, China has actively championed the global rollout of artemisinin by providing drugs or technical assistance, building anti-malaria centers and training professionals. Millions of lives around the world, especially in developing countries, have been thus saved. This is an important contribution to the global campaign against malaria and to the protection of human health.

"While malaria is yet to be eradicated at the global level, the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc. China stands ready to work with the rest of the international community, through closer exchanges and cooperation in the public health sector, to jointly tackle global threats and challenges, build a global community of health for all, and make still greater contribution to the health of people all over the world.

"I wish the forum a full success.

Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

25 April 2022"

Friends,

The congratulatory message from President Xi Jinping manifests the global vision of the Chinese leader and the people-centered value of the Chinese government. It provides important guidance for building a global community of health for all.

Malaria is one of the world's three most common infectious diseases and a major public health challenge confronting human development. Fifty years ago, after relentless research, Chinese scientists, represented by Tu Youyou, were the first to discover and extract artemisinin, thus pioneering a novel therapy against malaria to significantly reduce the mortality rate of the disease.

While eliminating malaria at home, China has extended a helping hand to the world and carried out massive international aid programs against malaria centering on artemisinin. By the end of 2021, China has provided several billion doses of artemisinin-based drugs, trained tens of thousands of anti-malaria professionals for developing countries, and built malaria prevention and treatment centers for 30 countries. The 28,000 Chinese health workers sent to 72 developing countries have applied artemisinin-based drugs and therapies extensively to prevent and treat malaria there. On my visit to Comoros this year, I was heartened to learn that with the joint efforts of the two countries, Comoros has created a miracle in bringing malaria mortality to zero and slashing morbidity by over 90 percent.

Over the past 50 years, China's anti-malaria assistance efforts have yielded remarkable outcomes. According to WHO statistics, in sub-Saharan Africa alone, about 240 million people have benefited from artemisinin-based combination therapy(ACT). From Asia to Africa, from Europe to the Americas, countless lives have been saved and numerous families are protected by artemisinin. The medicine has become a guardian for people in developing countries.

The story of artemisinin is a story of success on humanity's strenuous struggles against a disease, a story of success on China's solidarity with fellow developing countries, and in particular, a story of success on China's commitment to benefiting the world through its own development.

Friends,

Be it in fighting SARS or Ebola, the Chinese people have always stood together with the people of the world. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the worst one in a century, China has stepped forward to carry out its largest emergency humanitarian operation. To date, China has delivered several hundred billion articles of medical supplies to 153 countries and 15 international organizations, provided 2.2 billion doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations, sent 37 medical expert teams to 34 countries, and shared anti-epidemic experience with over 180 countries and international organizations. These concrete actions by China have guided the course, strengthened solidarity and boosted hope for global cooperation against COVID-19.

Friends,

Malaria is still a threat to people's health in many countries, and COVID-19 remains the biggest challenge for the international community. President Xi Jinping pointed out that strong confidence and cooperation represent the only right way to defeat the pandemic. We call on all countries in the world to put aside differences and work together to build a global community of health for all.

We need to work tirelessly to eliminate malaria and other major communicable diseases. This is an important goal in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is also a priority area in China's Global Development Initiative. We will use various means, including joint demonstration projects, special training sessions, medical expertise cooperation and transfer and joint research and production, to help strengthen the comprehensive capacity for prevention and treatment of malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. The goal is to eliminate malaria in more regions and countries, and ultimately, in the whole world, accumulating experience for the international community on infectious disease prevention and treatment.

We need to uphold solidarity to win the global fight against COVID-19. China will continue to provide vaccines and anti-epidemic supplies to regions and countries in need, help other countries move closer toward localized vaccine production, and increase vaccine accessibility and affordability. The international community must stay united and work together, and jointly oppose COVID-related politicization, stigmatization,  and "vaccine nationalism".

We need to keep the future in mind to improve the global health governance system. China will support the UN and WHO in playing the leadership role in the global health governance system, and at the same time will advance reforms of the system in light of new circumstances and challenges to make it more efficient, science-based and equitable. The system should be more responsive to the needs of developing countries, and should help strengthen their public health systems. We call on developed countries to provide greater support and input to WHO and the developing world. And we support countries in advancing negotiations for an agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response on the basis of equal-footed consultation.

Friends,

As a Chinese saying goes, "A just cause finds great support, and compassion knows no borders." Let us use this forum as an opportunity to deepen solidarity and strengthen cooperation to build a global community of health for all. Let us make new and greater contributions to the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to a healthy future for everyone on our planet, and to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Thank you.