The 4th China-ASEAN Forum on Health Cooperation, which is one of the high-level forums of the 19th China-ASEAN Expo, will take place both online and on-site in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region from Sept 14 to 16.

The forum will be jointly held by the National Health Commission, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control, as well as the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

It aims to deepen health exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in the post-COVID-19-pandemic era, strengthen health system resilience, as well as implement the agreements and deliverables of the China-ASEAN Health Ministers' Meetings and Senior Officials' Meetings on Health Development.

With the theme of "Build a Healthier and Safer Home Together, Strengthen Cooperation towards More Resilience of Health Systems in the post COVID-19 era," the forum will include a plenary session and seven sub-forums.

The plenary session will gather health ministers from China and ASEAN countries, as well as ministerial officials from the ASEAN Secretariat and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office to deliver keynote speeches. A joint statement will be released and a series of cooperation agreements will be signed at the session.

The seven sub-forums will focus on pressing issues related to disease prevention and control collaboration, health emergency cooperation, maternal and child health communication and cooperation, traditional medicine, dentistry, hospital management cooperation, as well as food safety and nutrition health.

The China-ASEAN health cooperation has achieved more fruitful results since the first China-ASEAN Forum on Health Cooperation was first held in October 2016.

The year 2022 marks the starting year of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Therefore, this year's forum will continue to contribute to the deepening of China-ASEAN health exchanges and cooperation, with the goal of building a China-ASEAN community of health for all.