What happens when US engineering meets China’s clinical practice? A global standard of care. This was the focus of a CGTN panel discussion at the AABIP 2026 annual meeting in Denver, where leading experts from both countries shared their perspectives on cross-Pacific collaboration.

Professor Sun Jiayuan of Shanghai Chest Hospital offered a compelling example. Shape‑sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (ssRAB), invented in the US, was introduced to China in 2021. His team partnered with American experts in treating Chinese patients —the US provided device innovation; China contributed abundant cases and rapid clinical translation.

By December 2025, they convened 18 specialists from 13 hospitals across Asia, Europe and North America to craft the world's first international consensus on ssRAB for peripheral lung lesion diagnosis. All 38 recommendations were unanimously endorsed.

"We have the same issues you have in China with regard to lung cancer," said Dr. Sonali Sethi, president of the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (AABIP). She also praised China's education and practice of CT screening that allows for early diagnosis of lung cancer.

Reviewing key technological advances, Dr. Sethi said the arrival of navigation robotic platforms allows physicians to reach smaller, more peripheral lesions, diagnose cancers earlier, and shift patients from late‑stage (III/IV) to stage I or II, when the chances of a cure are significantly higher.

Even more exciting, she said, is the integration of imaging with robotics. Mobile cone‑beam CT systems, combined with tomosynthesis and AI algorithms, now allow real‑time, low‑dose intraoperative imaging – taking precision to "the next level" while lowering costs.

Chinese companies are taking clinical technologies and lessons learned, improving upon them, and now there is potential for a reverse pollination – reintroducing Chinese innovations to Europe and the US to benefit patients here, said Professor George Cheng from pulmonary medicine at UCSD (University of California, San Diego).

Professor Cheng added that this dynamic cross‑pollination of technologies and care delivery models is the future, and it will elevate the quality of care that physicians provide to patients.

Professor Hou Gang from China‑Japan Friendship Hospital stressed the importance of personnel training. Proposing to build a faculty training program between the US and China, Professor Hou said cross-Pacific collaboration is valuable for evaluating new techniques and spreading them worldwide, ultimately bringing more benefits to patients.

Founded in 1992, AABIP offers participants opportunities to present research, network with peers, and develop collaborative projects. The meeting also provides a forum for sharing recent advances in research and clinical practice, with the objective of contributing to patient care.