BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — “Let innovation promote equity, let cooperation enhance mutual trust, and let development lay the foundation for health and wellbeing, benefiting every person, every family, and every community.” At the 2026 Beijing Capital International Medical Conference held on September 12, Chen Zhongdan, an official at the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative Office in China, pointed to this consensus goal shared by all participants. Under the theme “Innovation and Cooperation for a Win-win Future: Building a Global Community of Health for All,” this year’s conference systematically showcases China’s achievements in health governance, deepens multilateral international health cooperation, empowers new quality productive forces in healthcare, enhances China’s international discourse power in healthcare, and explores solutions for building a global community of health for all.

Remarkable Achievements of “Healthy China”: Chinese Experience Wins Praise

The year 2026 marks the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan and also coincides with the tenth anniversary of the implementation of the “Healthy China” strategy. Lei Haichao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the National Health Commission, introduced that China has built the world’s largest systems for medical services, traditional medicine, disease control, and medical security, with average life expectancy reaching 79.25 years in 2025. Jin Wei, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Beijing, introduced that the average life expectancy of Beijing residents is nearly 84.2 years, the infant mortality rate has dropped to 1.3 per thousand, and the scale of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry has remained above RMB 1 trillion for two consecutive years. Nadia Rasheed, UNFPA Representative in China, also noted that since the implementation of the “Healthy China” strategy, maternal and infant mortality rates have continued to decline, and 90% of Chinese people can access services from family health institutions nearby within 15 minutes. “From an international perspective, ‘Healthy China’ is not merely a national health initiative; it represents a profound shift in our understanding of ‘development’ itself,” said Siddharth Chatterjee, former UN Resident Coordinator in China and CEO of Global Neighbours. “Healthy China” has pushed health from the margins of development to the core of national progress.

Multiple Collaborative Projects Launched, Deepening International Health Cooperation

Win-win cooperation goes beyond vision; it is reflected in multiple long-term collaborative projects. At the opening ceremony, five international medical cooperation projects were signed on site, including the China-Africa Medical and Health Cooperation Project, the Medical and Health Cooperation Project for Belt and Road Countries, and the Medical and Health Coordination Project for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Member States. The innovation and translation cooperation platform jointly built by Peking University Third Hospital and SingHealth was launched the same day, with both sides committed to deepening collaborative efforts in medical science and technology innovation and achievement translation. Looking ahead, international health cooperation has broad prospects. Dirk Köcher, President of the Verband des Klinikmanagements Deutschlands e.V. and Director of Städtisches Klinikum Dresden, said that Germany and China face similar challenges such as ageing and shortages of medical professionals, and that artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and new drug development are areas with great potential for cooperation. “No single country can address these challenges alone – this is precisely why we must build a global community of health for all,” said Chatterjee. Lei Haichao stated that China looks forward to carrying out more extensive and practical cooperation projects with all parties in areas such as the R&D of new drugs, vaccines, and devices, full-life-cycle health management, cross-border disease prevention and control, and “AI + healthcare.”

Smooth Translation from Medical Research to Industry and Application, Empowering New Quality Productive Forces in Healthcare

Promoting the translation of innovative achievements from the laboratory to clinical practice is an important focus of this year’s conference. Xiao Ruiping, Member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Founding Dean of the College of Future Technology at Peking University, and Deputy Editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, shared a case of original innovation: endometriosis affects 190 million patients worldwide and 40 million in China, and due to unclear mechanisms, there had been no new targets for the past four decades. Her team discovered a new target, the prolactin receptor, and developed the monoclonal antibody HMI-115, which received “breakthrough therapy” designation from the National Medical Products Administration and fast-track status from the US FDA, and has now entered Phase III trials. Zhong Dongbo, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, introduced that Beijing is promoting nine leading hospitals in jointly building specialised disease innovation laboratories with AI companies. Tongren Hospital’s fundus screening AI has covered more than 100 community health service institutions, and Anzhen Hospital’s fetal cardiac AI has been deployed in over 1,000 medical institutions across 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide, benefiting 1.3 million pregnant women, accelerating the promotion and application of achievements.

Bringing Together Global Medical Resources, Enhancing International Discourse Power in Medicine

This year’s conference brings together forces from government, healthcare, industry, academia, and research to build a high-end platform for dialogue between Chinese and international medical professionals, with representatives of international organisations delivering speeches and international peers discussing cooperation. Ren Minghui, Director of the Peking University Institute of Global Health and Director of the China Center for Health Development Studies at Peking University, introduced that the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, together with the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA), launched the “One Health, Hundred Cities” Initiative, hoping to build a shared data platform connecting human health, animal health, and ecosystem health. The Global One Health Index (GOHI), created by the Institute of One Health at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, uses public data sources to evaluate how countries practise and promote One Health. China’s patriotic health campaign and healthy city practices are contributing solutions to global governance. Lian Jing, Vice President of Takeda China, stated that the innovative drug Orzeyful for type 1 narcolepsy has achieved a “global premiere” with synchronised global R&D, filing, and launch, confirming the elevation of China’s position in the global pharmaceutical innovation system.

This year’s conference is both a positive response to the issues of our times and a sincere invitation from China’s medical community to the world. Looking ahead, China will uphold mutual learning, mutual benefit, and practical cooperation, join hands with countries around the world to build a global community of health for all, continuously enhance human health and wellbeing, and let health and wellbeing benefit everyone.


Contact person: Ms. Zhu, Tel: 86-10-63074558

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2026 Beijing Capital International Medical Conference