Global Health Forum of Boao Forum for Asia opened in Qingdao, Shandong on June 11. Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan read a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping, and delivered a keynote speech.

Sun said the letter expounded the fundamental role of universal health in global health undertakings and put forward the initiative of promoting international cooperation in the field of health. The letter boosted confidence and motivation in deepening exchanges and advancing health wellbeing for the entire humankind. Health is the eternal pursuit of human beings, and health promotion is the common responsibility of the international community. China will strengthen the cooperation with other countries in building a global public health security prevention and control system and a global health governance platform, and work together to promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and improve the health and well-being of people in all countries.

Sun Chunlan stressed that since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to people's health, put people's health first, adhered to the principle of “putting prevention first, and combining prevention with treatment” and promoted the comprehensive development of health services to guarantee people’s health in an all-round way and throughout the lifecycle. Sun mentioned China’s efforts in deepening medical and healthcare system reform and its achievements in inheriting and developing the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Measures are taken not only to make it easier for patients to get medical treatment, but also lower their burden of medical expenses. We supported the R&D and application of new drugs and medical equipment, strengthened intellectual property protection and constantly improved the technical content of medical services and health products. We vigorously promoted the combination of traditional medicine and modern technology, established sound medical security, talent training and scientific research systems with TCM characteristics and improved the service model combining TCM with western medicine. We also promoted the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and enhanced the research, utilization and active inheritance of classics. We made better use of the important role of TCM in disease prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Sun also visited community medical institutions in Qingdao, and stressed the role of the TCM in medical services at grassroots level. She affirmed the effectiveness of Chinese medicine characteristic services, and its role as the gatekeeper of residents' health. She suggested to combine the implementation of Healthy China Initiative with basic public health services, shift from treating diseases to health-centered, establish grass-roots Chinese medicine service system, give play to the advantages of Chinese medicine close to the people, popularize health knowledge, develop healthy living habits, take the responsibility for their own health, and constantly improve the sense of health acquisition and well-being.