The Chinese delegation to the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) reaffirmed China's commitment to building a global community of health for all on Monday during a general debate.
Lei Haichao, head of China's National Health Commission (NHC) and leader of the Chinese delegation, said that over the past 60 years, China has dispatched more than 30,000 medical personnel to 77 countries and regions worldwide, providing treatment to over 300 million patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, China supplied 500 billion pieces of personal protective items and 2.3 billion doses of vaccines to countries across the globe.
According to Lei, China's average life expectancy had risen to 79 years by 2024 while the maternal and infant mortality rates have reached historic lows, ranking among the top middle- and high-income countries in the world.
Lei emphasized that China is deeply involved in global health governance, and will continuously contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to building a global community of health for all. He reaffirmed China's firm advocacy for multilateralism and strong support for the World Health Organization (WHO) to play a central role in coordinating global health affairs.
At the same time, the Chinese delegation reaffirmed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and that the World Health Assembly has already made clear its decision not to invite Taiwan to participate. Remarks by certain countries concerning Taiwan not only interfere with China's internal affairs but also disrupt the meeting's agenda and run counter to the general consensus. China urges these countries to cease such interference.
China committed to contributing to global health: official
China committed to contributing to global health: official
Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year message delivered on the New Year Eve has drawn positive responses from scholars and former officials from several countries, who say that the series of global initiatives proposed by Xi have provided fresh momentum for multilateralism and shared development at a time of growing uncertainty.
While the reactions touched on the broader vision outlined in Xi's New Year message, they also focused on the initiatives Xi has put forward over recent years, particularly the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the newly proposed Global Governance Initiative.
Highlighting the significant importance of these initiatives, they have emphasized the need for equality, inclusiveness and a fairer international order.
"We need a more just international order and a truly multilateral system. China stands almost alone today as a global force actively advancing genuine multilateralism. Therefore, these initiatives are most welcome," said Michael Schumann, chairman of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has placed the emphasis on dialogue and trust-building between civilizations.
"It is essential now more than ever to promote communication and understanding between China and the world to enhance cultural exchanges and build mutual trust. As President Xi has repeatedly emphasized, China supports principles of unity, inclusiveness and peacefulness. These values should guide our collective efforts to build bridges rather than walls," he said.
From a governance perspective, Russian scholar Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, head of the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Institute of China and Modern Asia under the Russian Academy of Sciences, has viewed the Global Governance Initiative as a structured response to global challenges.
"The recently proposed Global Governance Initiative presents a comprehensive framework of ideas. It prioritizes establishing a more just international order, champions multilateralism, and upholds the principle of 'people first.' Through its concrete practices, financial assistance, and tangible support for multilateral bodies like the U.N., China has demonstrated that its commitments are substantive. China is taking tangible steps toward a fairer and more reasonable global governance system," she said.
Scholars from the Global South also have seen historical echoes in the initiatives.
"Some of the developed and developing countries have highly welcomed the Global Development Initiative, because this initiative emphasizes the need for partnerships -- partnerships that commit resources to end global poverty and pursue common and shared development. The Global Governance Initiative, in my view, echoes again the call that was made by Asian [and] African countries at the Bandung Conference in 1955 for equality, for mutual respect, for respect of territorial integrity, [and] for respect of sovereignty," said Bongani Maimele, director of international relations at South Africa's National School of Government.
"These initiatives are revolutionary in nature. They are reshaping the political philosophy of global governance. Today's world is far more complex than it was 80 years ago, and interdependence among nations has deepened. Therefore, we need new philosophical perspectives to examine our world and new models of engagement to foster a new type of international relations," said Sheradil Baktygulov, director of Kyrgyzstan's Institute of World Policy.
Int'l scholars praise Xi's initiatives, call for stronger multilateralism
