China's nursing workforce keeps enlarging in 2021-2025 period

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's nursing workforce has kept growing in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), with the number of registered nurses across the country increasing at an average annual rate of about 8 percent year on year, the National Health Commission (NHC) reported on Monday -- the 114th International Nurses Day. 

The NHC reported that the over 4,000 medical institutions across the country now provide doorstep nursing services across 60 categories, from post-operation care to elderly rehabilitation. 

Events honoring the International Nurses Day have been held nationwide recently, with several People's Liberation Army (PLA) hospitals conducting trauma care drills. 

At the PLA's 71st Group Army Hospital in east China's Jiangsu Province, nurses renewed Florence Nightingale's pledge before her statue - a tradition named in honor of Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing. Forty frontline nurses received awards and flowers in honoring their outstanding performances. 

"We will continue to practice the Nightinggale Pledge, uphold the Spirit of Red Military Medicine, hone our first aid skills and strengthen our treatment capabilities to safeguard the lives and safety of our comrade-in-arms," said Zhao Shuli, a nurse at the PLA 71st Group Army Hospital. 

In Wuxi, a city in Jiangsu, a local military Joint Logistics Support Center organized its affiliated hostpials to hold a medical support skills competition. 

In the competition, the participants demonstrated their superb skills and emergency response capabilities, showcasing the outstanding professional qualities of the medical support staff and their skills in medical support on the battlefield.

The PLA 63750 Hospital recently staged clinical simulations integrating emergency response with nursing assessment and operation skills. 

In Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, the General Hospital of the PLA's Western Theater Command awarded 30 staff members with "Starlight Angel" titles. Recipient Zhao Qin said the honorary title will encourage her to keep forging ahead. 

The commendation will further consolidate the tremendous strength of our 'white-coat warriors' to strive on the new journey and make contributions to the new era, and make greater contributions to improving medical support capabilities and serving the health of both military personnel and civilians," Zhao said. 

China's nursing workforce keeps enlarging in 2021-2025 period

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that his country and China can build a mutually beneficial relationship amidst competitions.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office in June 2025.

In an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul, capital of the ROK, on Wednesday, Lee said that the ROK and China both place great importance on the development of high-tech fields, and this inevitably creates competitions between the two countries, but will also presents ample cooperation opportunities for both sides.

"To my knowledge, the Chinese government has made tremendous efforts in high-tech investment, research and development investment, and the talent cultivation in the field of basic research, just as the ROK has done. From this perspective, the ROK and China share similarities in economic growth strategies, which certainly creates competitions between the two countries, but it also presents broad cooperation opportunities for both sides. I believe that if we can explore areas for cooperation amid competitions and enhance our respective strengths through cooperation, we can build a mutually beneficial relationship that not only supports China's sustainable development strategy but also promotes ROK's growth strategy," Lee said.

ROK president eyes mutually beneficial relationship with China amid competitions