Vice-Premier Liu Yandong called for more cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in the health sector, when addressing the opening ceremony of the 2nd China-CEEC Health Ministers Meeting, which was held in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province on June 20.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka also attended the opening ceremony of the meeting.

Liu said the 16+1 cooperation mechanism between China and CEEC opened a new way for the country to develop relationship with its traditional friends, which has entered mature period with efforts paying off. As this year is declared as China-CEEC Year of People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges, the increasingly intense health cooperation has injected new impetus into the 16+1 cooperation mechanism.

The vice-premier said that she would like to see the health ministers meeting be the highlight of the China-CEEC cooperation, which will help foster a high-level cooperation mechanism. The meeting, Liu said, will enhance the joint research and development of the prevention and control of antibiotic resistance, medical technology, and drugs, increase the introduction of traditional medicine, and promote the mutual learning of professional personnel, with efforts to benefit people in China and CEEC.

Liu noted the theme of this forum is deepening pragmatic international cooperation and promoting a sustainable development in the health sector. The forum is held to address global health challenges. China has attached great importance to the Healthy China 2020 as a strategy to provide basic health and medical service for all, and fully implement the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

She further expressed hope that CEEC and China will strengthen the cooperation in public health and communication in dealing with emergency cases. The two sides should also strive to improve global health governance for the welfare of the humankind.

Liu witnessed the establishment of three China-CEEC cooperative health institutions with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. They also visited a series of exhibitions which displayed major achievements made in the healthcare sector in the past decades.