Beijing International Conference for Public Health Cooperation, one of the key forums of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), was staged in China National Convention Center on September 6. An event co-hosted by Beijing Municipal Health Commission and International Health Exchange and Cooperation Center (IHECC) of the National Health Commission, it explores the theme of “Fighting Against Global Disease Threats with Shared Anti-Epidemic Experience and Practices.”

Chen Bei, Deputy Secretary General of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality attended the conference and delivered a speech. She looked forward to discussions on public health, hoping all participants could contribute wisdom to the global fight against Covid-19.

Keynote speakers included Dr. Gauden Galea, the WHO Representative to China, Xu Jianguo, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Liu Qingquan, President of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, an affiliated hospital of Capital Medical University, Itamar Grotto, Associate Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health (via video link), and Liu Duo, President of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. They delivered keynote speeches titled as Fight Covid-19 via Global Cooperation, A New Understanding of Novel Coronavirus’ Characteristics, A Study on Traditional Chinese Medicine for Covid-19, How Israel's Epidemiological System Battles the Covid-19 Epidemic, and Prospect of Leveraging Intelligent Technologies in Response to Global Emergencies of Serious Infectious Diseases. Officials of Chinese ministries and commissions such as the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the National Medical Products Administration, well-known experts and scholars, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry had an in-depth discussion of equitable access to global public health products from different perspectives.

During the event, Beijing Municipal Health Commission, IHECC, the representative offices of WHO, UNAIDS and UNFPA in China, and Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in China jointly released Beijing Initiative that has the same theme as the conference. The initiative calls on all parties concerned to promote worldwide cooperation for safeguarding global public health based on the principles of openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and respect, mutual benefits for a win-win situation, and equality and transparency.