CIDCA chairman lauds role of TCM in epidemic response

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All on April 25. 

The forum was co-hosted by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), the National Health Commission (NHC) and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. 

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi read out the letter at the forum and made a keynote speech. 

CIDCA Chairman Luo Zhaohui said in his welcoming remarks that disease knows no border or race, and health is a common pursuit for all. Today is World Malaria Day. Since its discovery, artemisinin has been spreading Chinese people’s universal love and compassion across continents and oceans, and has played a vital role in helping humanity defeat malaria, Luo said. A contribution by China and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), artemisinin has become a shiny poster for the country’s "handy and practical" foreign assistance programs. Today, in our fight against COVID-19, a pandemic unseen in a century, TCM has created new glories and embarked on a new journey of benefiting humanity, he added. 

Noting that we live in a community with a shared future for mankind and Earth is our common homeland, Luo said that facing repeated resurgences of rampant COVID-19, it is crucial for all sides to overcome difficulties with solidarity and concerted efforts. Responding to the call of times and guiding the trend of the world, President Xi put forward the Chinese approach of building a global community of health for all, which is gaining more and more recognition internationally, according to Luo. China’s medical supplies and vaccines are assisting the world in a steady flow, he said, adding that China stands ready to work with the international community to advance international anti-pandemic cooperation and world economic recovery, implement the Global Development Initiative, and achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. 

NHC Vice-minister Yu Xuejun, NATCM Director Yu Wenming, Dean of the diplomatic corps and Cambodian Ambassador to China Khek Caimealy Sysoda, and United Nations Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee gave speeches at the forum. 

Senegalese President Macky Sall, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Comorian President Azali Assoumani, Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, and World Health Organization Deputy Director-General Zsuzsanna Jakab sent congratulatory video clips to the forum respectively.

Tu Youyou, a Chinese scientist and Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, delivered a video speech to the forum.

CIDCA Vice-Chairman Deng Boqing and its Second Department of Regional Affairs Director-General Liu Junfeng, as well as diplomatic envoys of relevant countries to China, representatives of international organizations in China, and representatives from relevant enterprises and scientific and research institutions, attended the forum.

After the forum, Luo and forum guests visited the Exhibition on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All.