Chinese shares close lower Friday

Chinese stocks closed lower on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 1.18 percent to 3,888.11 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.08 percent lower at 13,471.26 points.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, dropped 0.49 percent to close at 3,322.04 points.

The ChiNext Index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and other indices, reflects the performance of stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The world-renowned Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) celebrated its 105th anniversary in Beijing on Thursday, with the occasion highlighting the enduring history and fruitful results of health cooperation between China and the United States.

Founded by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1921, PUMCH has grown into a modern, comprehensive hospital integrating medical care, teaching and research, and stands as a living testament to the two countries' people-to-people friendship and academic exchanges in medicine.

"Medicine embodies humanity's shared pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. By its very nature, it fosters mutual understanding among people. It is this value consensus that has driven the development of medical exchanges between China and the United States across oceans, forging profound bonds through mutual learning and inspiration," said Zhang Shuyang, president of the hospital, in a speech at a conference in Beijing.

The Rockefeller Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1913 by American industrialist John D. Rockefeller, aimed to improve public health services and medical education. This establishment of PUMCH marked a milestone in the history of medical cooperation between China and the United States.

The conference highlighted the history of medical and health cooperation between the two countries.

"One hundred and five years ago, American and Chinese physicians, scientists and philanthropists made a decision that would dramatically impact the course of medicine, not only in China, but the entire world. The Rockefeller Foundation, partnering with the China Medical Board, invested not in commerce, not in politics, but in people. They brought the Johns Hopkins model of academic medicine to Beijing," said David Perdue, the U.S. ambassador to China.

According to the American Chamber of Commerce in China, pharmaceutical and medical cooperation between Chinese and American universities, institutions and companies has achieved fruitful results, especially in areas such as rare disease drugs, gene therapy and cancer treatment.

"We've seen the integration of excellence in clinical care and education research and public service. PUMCH remains a living testament to the enduring value of U.S.-China people-to-people friendship and academic exchanges in medicine," said Roger I. Glass, president of China Medical Board.

Experts believe that, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, China and the United States can work together to explore the application of digital health technology in remote medical services, medical data management and other scenarios, setting an example for global cooperation in digital healthcare.