Visiting Vice-Premier Liu Yandong participated in the China-France Healthy Aging Forum and delivered a speech on July 1.

Liu said the exchanges in health between China and France has a long history. France is one of the first western countries to contact, practice and improve traditional Chinese medicine.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and France have opened a new chapter of exchanges in health, and have realized fruitful results in public health, medicine research and development, hospital management, among others.

The two countries also conducted positive cooperation in the fight against Ebola in Africa, which highlighted the great potential in third party cooperation between China and France, Liu added.

The vice-premier said France is the first country in Europe to set up a system of nursing care intervention for the elderly, and sets up an example for the world for its system of elderly care service.

According to her, China takes healthy aging as an important part of its national strategy Healthy China, and it is committed to deepen the reform of China’s medical and health care system, promote the integration of medical and health care system with the system of elderly care service, and improve the system for elderly health support.

The practical cooperation between China and France in health and their joint efforts to promote healthy aging not only can help improve health and well-being of the elderly of the two countries, but also has a global meaning, Liu said.

She called on the two sides to strengthen policy dialogues and joint researches, promote mutual learning of each other’s policies, and share measures and experience in innovating healthy aging systems.

Liu added the two sides should also expand personnel and technical exchanges and cooperation, step up efforts to train nursing care personnel for the elderly, deepen cooperation in geratology between medical universities, and contribute to the technological development of geratology.

China and France should also strengthen global health cooperation, deepen third party cooperation, and face the new challenges of global public health, Liu concluded.