Lin Xiaojun (right), a member of the 29th Chinese medical aid to Zanzibar, and a local doctor conduct a cataract surgery for Issa Khamis Issa in Zanzibar, Tanzania, August 1, 2019. File Photo: Xinhua

China will continue to do a good job in foreign aid medical work, implement innovative cooperation projects, and promote China-Africa pharmaceutical cooperation, said He Shaohua, an official from the National Health Commission.

He made the remarks at the Third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held on Thursday in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of a Chinese medical team to Africa, and there have been fruitful results since then in terms of cooperation on healthcare innovation, public health and the China-Africa pharmaceutical industry, he said.

China has played a vital role in Tanzania's efforts to provide high-quality medical services to its people. Over the past 60 years, China has sent more than 2,000 medical experts from Shandong and Jiangsu provinces to Tanzania and Zanzibar to provide medical assistance, said Hussein Ali Mwinyi, president of Zanzibar, at the forum.

He said that in the future, under the China-Africa health cooperation mechanism, cooperation in medical institution collaboration, medical personnel training, local medical investment, and infectious disease prevention and treatment can continue to be strengthened.

One of the most pressing problems in Africa is limited access to high-quality medical services, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the fragility of Africa's health care system, so the establishment of the African Medicines Authority is very important, said Michel Sidibé, African Union Special Envoy for the African Medicines Agency.

Liu Jingqi, an official from the National Medical Products Administration, said that Chinese pharmaceutical companies will be encouraged to expand investment in Africa, support the development of local African medicine, carry out joint medical research, and strengthen exchanges between the two sides.

China has as many as 5,000 pharmaceutical companies. At present, Chinese pharmaceutical companies have expanded their business to at least 12 African countries and provided services to more countries through exports.

Data from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products shows that the trade volume of pharmaceuticals between China and Africa in 2010 was approximately $1.31 billion. By 2019, it had more than doubled to approximately $2.931 billion. Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Algeria are China's major pharmaceutical trading partners, with annual import and export volumes exceeding $100 million.

China can play a positive role, whether in ensuring that high-quality and affordable medical products from China can benefit more people in Africa or in assisting African medicine firms to improve their safety and efficacy, said Zheng Zhijie, director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's China Office.