Keynote Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the “Understanding China” Conference (Guangzhou) by Lei Haichao, Secretary of the leading party members group and Minister of National Health Commission
It is my great pleasure to attend the 2025 “Understanding China” Conference and meet with all of you in Guangzhou. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, held just over a month ago, adopted the proposals for the “15th Five-Year Plan”, outlining a grand blueprint for China's economic and social development over the next five years and presenting a bright vision of win-win cooperation between China and the world. This year's conference, themed on new plan, new development, new choices --- Chinese modernization and new vision for global governance, is very timely.
President Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that people's health is a key symbol of socialist modernization. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the Chinese government has adhered to the principle of putting the people and their lives first, building the world's largest healthcare system, traditional medicine system, disease prevention and control system, and healthcare security system. With 1.09 million health institutions and 16 million health workforce in the country, China withstood the test of the pandemic of the century, creating a miracle in human civilization where a major country with a large population successfully emerged from a major pandemic.
During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's average life expectancy increased by over 0.2 years annually, reaching 79 years in 2024, ranking among the top in upper-middle-income countries, achieving relatively high health performance with relatively low resource input.
Setting development goals in accordance with the laws of social development and working steadfastly and unitedly towards these goals is a distinct feature and unique advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, with the objective of making solid strides in promoting well-rounded human development and common prosperity for all, made further plans and deployments for accelerating the building of a Healthy China and promoting high-quality population development in the coming period.
With the goal of building a Healthy China by 2035, we strive to raise the average life expectancy of Chinese residents to around 80 years by 2030, making a landmark contribution to Chinese modernization and laying a solid foundation for it in terms of health and population.
First, economic and social development will be more people-centered, deeply implementing the strategy of prioritizing health development. Prioritizing health development as a goal for economic and social development, we will improve the policy and regulatory systems for planning, investment, governance, and performance evaluation, strengthen the policy system for health promotion, deepen the Healthy China Initiative, enhance the effectiveness of the Patriotic Health Campaign, gradually improve public health literacy, make health knowledge accessible to every household, and enable everyone to enjoy a healthier and higher-quality life.
Second, the healthcare system will focus more on the primary care, vigorously promote the tiered diagnosis and treatment system with Chinese characteristics. We will reasonably increase the share of health expenditure in fiscal spending, raise the proportion of government investment, deepen public hospital reform shifting towards public welfare, optimize the functions and distribution of medical institutions at all levels, implement health capacity building, channel more health professionals and services to community level, advance mobile medical services and telemedicine, deepen digital and intelligent transformation, vigorously develop traditional Chinese medicine, promote the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, develop an integrated service model of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and management, enabling 1.4 billion people to enjoy accessible, convenient, systematic, continuous, high-quality, and efficient healthcare.
Third, Healthy China Initiative will focus more on coordinating development and security. On one hand, we will strengthen the twin drivers of of health technology and artificial intelligence, foster the growth of biomanufacturing into future industries, support the development of innovative drugs and medical devices, and deeply advance the "AI Plus" initiative. On the other hand, we will strengthen public health capabilities, further enhance the disease control system, and strengthen capacities for major infectious disease prevention and control, including monitoring and early warning, laboratory testing, epidemiological investigation, emergency response, and medical treatment. We will vigorously cultivate interdisciplinary strategic talents in medicine, prevention, and management.
Fourth, we will focus more on high-quality development of population. We will build a pro childbirth society, optimize childbirth support policies and incentives, make full use of policies such as childcare subsidies and personal income tax deductions, conduct pilot projects for childcare subsidies, develop inclusive childcare and integrated childcare and early education services, and effectively reduce the costs of childbirth, parenting, and education for families. We will strengthen health services for women and children. Develop integrated medical-childcare and medical-old age support services, and expand the supply of rehabilitation care and hospice care services.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In today's world, the global governance system, including the global health governance system, is undergoing profound changes. We are thoroughly implementing the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative, firmly supporting multilateralism, strengthening coordination with the WHO, continuing practical cooperation with all parties in various fields such as pandemic and infectious disease prevention and control, health emergencies, traditional medicine, and AI, supporting the legitimate demands of developing countries in strengthening public health systems and vaccine distribution, contributing valuable knowledge, experience, and Chinese solutions to global health development, actively promoting the building of a global community of health for all, and helping to achieve the UN 2030 SDGs on schedule.
We do our utmost to improve access to health services in developing countries. Since 1963, China has been providing medical assistance abroad, dispatching medical teams to 77 countries and regions, involving 30,000 health professionals, conducting programs like “Brightness Action ”“Love Healing Action” “Smile Action” and free surgical clinics in over 30 countries, supporting the construction of the Africa CDC, establishing paired cooperation with 48 hospitals in 43 countries, and building 28 key clinical cooperation centers.
We are committed to openness and innovation and share development outcomes. The health sector is opening wider to the outside world. Currently, there are over 60 Sino-foreign joint venture hospitals, and pilot programs for wholly foreign-owned hospitals are underway in 9 cities across 7 provinces. We will strengthen cooperation in traditional medicine, carry out the “Shennong Tasting Herbs in the New Era” initiative, and jointly explore plant resources with medicinal value.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A China continuously advancing modernization will make significant contributions to human progress and well-being. China possesses a favorable business environment, an effective governance mechanism featuring long-term planning, scientific regulation, and coordination between different levels, vast potential for consumption upgrading, structural optimization and economic transition. We enjoy a unified national market with a super-large population and will create broad opportunities for the common development of all countries. We are willing to work with all parties to consolidate and advance cooperation in the health sector, jointly address global health security challenges, promote the building of a global community of health for all, and contribute to health promotion in the world!