The Chinese medical aid team has made contributions to human peace and development, receiving widespread acclaim from the international community, China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The remarks were made by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular press briefing when he was asked to introduce the achievements of China's international medical aid work and its significance to the world, as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the occasion when the country sent its first medical aid team abroad.

Wang said that international medical aid is an important part of China's foreign assistance. 

Since China dispatched its first medical aid team to Algeria in 1963, it has sent medical teams consisting of 30,000 members to 76 countries and regions around the world, providing 290 million diagnoses and treatments for local people, he said.

He noted that after the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, China sent more than 1,200 medical personnel to treat over 800 patients and provide over 12,000 public health training activities for local people, and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China sent 37 anti-epidemic teams to 34 countries, bringing valuable experience, measures and supplies for epidemic prevention.

Meanwhile, China has continued to send medical team members to countries in need, carried out counterpart cooperation with 46 hospitals in 41 countries, and implemented volunteer cataract operations and heart surgeries in more than 30 countries, he added.

Wang stressed that China will continue to actively carry out international cooperation on hygiene and health such as foreign medical aid, committing itself to enhancing the health and well-being of the people around the world.

(Cover: The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China. /CFP)