How China's health development benefits the world

China has sent three batches of expert teams to support Africa's fight against the latest Ebola outbreak on the continent since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared in May that it constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

According to the latest data from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths had been recorded as of October 11.

Xu Ke, director of the Hepatitis Laboratory at the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), and his team arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, in June. Xu is an expert in laboratory testing and was responsible for coordinating with the laboratory of the DRC's National Institute of Biomedical Research.

The team discovered that the testing reagents used locally carried a risk of missing cases of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus circulating in this outbreak. They immediately worked with local technicians to review the testing process, optimize the testing protocol and fill the technical gap in accurate screening.

Sharing medicine

In addition to medical aid through technology sharing, experience exchange and personnel training, China's innovations in medicine are another important contribution to the world.

In the southern German city of Kempten, a pharmacy covering about 6,000 square meters maintains long-term cooperation with Jiren Pharmaceutical, a Chinese drugmaker based in Anhui Province. Since 2020, the two sides have been exploring methods of providing traditional Chinese medicine products to local patients. So far, Jiren Pharmaceutical has had 193 traditional Chinese medicine formula granules pass quality and conformity certification in the European Union, with sales covering all EU member states.

For an innovative traditional Chinese medicine to enter the European market, it must not only be accessible to patients but also withstand rigorous scrutiny by local medical and research systems. Researchers at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany are exploring how to harmonize Chinese and European drug safety standards.

"Our best projects are all carried out with Chinese partners," said Sven Schröder, medical director of the HanseMerkur Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, during a recent interview with China Media Group.

This is not the first time traditional Chinese medicine has cured patients around the world. Artemisinin, an antimalarial drug developed by Chinese pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou and her colleagues in the 1970s, has played a major role in global malaria control.

According to statistics from the WHO, artemisinin has saved millions of lives worldwide and treats hundreds of millions of patients each year. Since 2000, the global malaria mortality rate has fallen by more than half. In June 2021, the WHO announced that China had been certified malaria-free.

"Artemisinin is a small step in humanity's conquest of malaria and a gift from traditional Chinese medicine to the world," Tu said.

To this day, artemisinin-based combination therapies remain the world's preferred first-line treatment for malaria.

Sharing experience

China has established a basic medical and health system covering the entire population, addressing the medical needs of about one-sixth of the world's population with relatively limited input.

China is also emerging as a global powerhouse in pharmaceutical innovation, driven by vibrant research, efficient regulatory progress, and vast collaborative opportunities.

In 2025, the total value of outbound licensing deals for Chinese innovative drugs exceeded $135.6 billion, according to data from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). The number reached roughly $110 billion from January to June, hitting 80% of 2025's full-year total, covering oncology, metabolism, immunology and neurology, with buyers across 20 countries and regions.

In an interview with CGTN, Andy Moose, head of health systems transformation at the World Economic Forum, highlighted China's advances in pharmaceutical innovation and healthcare development. Moose attributed this transformation to years of strategic planning, policy support and investment, which he said have helped put China's healthcare system and medical innovation on a new trajectory.

At a sideline event on building a more equitable and accessible healthcare service system in the digital and intelligent era held during the 79th World Health Assembly in May, Dr. Saia Ma'u Piukala, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, remarked that a responsible and inclusive healthcare service system is the foundation for technology to function. In his view, China's AI medical technologies are empowering healthcare workers, narrowing gaps in medical services and promoting healthcare equity, and these areas of expertise and practical experience should be shared.