China-U.S. Medical Cooperation Renewed for Five Years as PUMCH and China Medical Board Extend Partnership
Dragon Media News Desk
Peking Union Medical College Hospital, one of China’s leading medical institutions, and the U.S.-based China Medical Board have renewed their cooperation for another five years, reinforcing practical China-U.S. engagement in the health sector.
The two institutions signed their third five-year memorandum of understanding in Beijing on Thursday during the opening of a China-U.S. medical exchange conference and an academic week marking the 105th anniversary of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Their first five-year memorandum was signed in 2016. Since then, the two sides have cooperated in medical training, education and clinical postdoctoral programs, contributing to improvements in residency training in China and bringing it closer to international standards.
Zeng Yixin, deputy head of China’s National Health Commission, said he hoped China and the United States would continue to strengthen practical and equal exchanges in medicine.
He also called for both sides to uphold a shared commitment to health for all and to work together to safeguard global health security.
Hundreds of doctors, researchers and scholars from both sides of the Pacific attended the conference and academic week.
Chen Zhu, a molecular biologist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the history of Peking Union Medical College Hospital reflects the development of modern medicine in China and serves as an important example of China-U.S. medical exchanges and cooperation.
PUMCH was founded in 1921 by the Rockefeller Foundation through the China Medical Board. It continued providing medical services during wartime and later became an important bridge for medical exchanges with the United States after China launched its reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s.
Today, the hospital is regarded as one of China’s major medical centers, known for its wide range of specialties, advanced technologies and clinical expertise.
U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said competition and cooperation are not mutually exclusive. He described the development of PUMCH as an example of what China and the United States can achieve when they work together to improve healthcare globally.
For more than half a century, China and the United States have cooperated in health policy, infectious disease prevention and control, chronic disease treatment, medical research and clinical care technologies. The two countries have also worked together in responding to Ebola outbreaks.
The renewed PUMCH-CMB agreement comes amid a series of China-U.S. medical exchanges this year.
In April, experts from Yale Cancer Center visited Beijing. In June, a track-two dialogue was held in Hangzhou focusing on biomedical innovation, applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare and cardiovascular health.
Roger Glass, president of the China Medical Board, said medicine, health and education provide a uniquely durable platform for dialogue and cooperation.
During the academic week, Peking Union Medical College Hospital is also scheduled to host a medical exchange conference with the University of Chicago, along with other academic activities.
