China is reinforcing its commitment to global health by supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) in leading the negotiations for the new pandemic agreement. Hu Guang, head of China’s National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA), emphasized the importance of the WHO’s continued leadership during an interview at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
Hu highlighted that the pandemic agreement is a crucial component of future reforms in global public health governance. \"China has been actively participating in the negotiations, playing a constructive role in drafting the agreement,\" he stated.
The Chinese mainland is advocating for multilateralism and global solidarity, stressing the need to respect national sovereignty while enhancing the WHO’s core role. Hu also addressed equity issues in pandemic response, noting significant progress made over the past two years despite the absence of a consensus on all articles of the agreement.
\"We know that there is still a long way to go before the new international instrument is signed, and some of the mechanisms and working measures mentioned in it need to be further improved,\" Hu acknowledged. China remains hopeful that the WHO will lead efforts to bolster global coordination, especially in providing technical, financial, and resource support to developing countries.
By maintaining its active role, China aims to help overcome existing challenges in pandemic response and realize the original goal of establishing a robust international health framework.
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China supports WHO in leading pandemic agreement negotiations
cgtn.com
