On April 27th, the third Sino-French High-Level Seminar was successfully held at the French Embassy in China both online and offline. The theme of the conference was “Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare”. XU Jian, Party Secretary of the International School of Medicine, Zhejiang University (ZJU-ISM) and the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (ZJU4H), was invited to speak at the conference. S.E. Bertrand Lortholary, the French Ambassador to China, ZHANG Junhua, Party Secretary of the Talent Exchange Service Center of the National Health Commission (NHC), and Lise Alter, the Managing Director of the Health Innovation Agency, attended the meeting. The conference was co-chaired by Prof. Romain Jacquet, Counselor of Health at the French Embassy in China, and Prof. HU Dan from the China Center for Health Development Studies at Peking University.
During his opening remarks, Ambassador S.E. Bertrand Lortholary highlighted that the conference was the result of close cooperation between the Talent Exchange Service Center and the French Embassy over the past few months. He emphasized that innovation in healthcare has become a shared strategic priority and has been discussed by the leaders of both countries in their recent meetings. He hoped that new areas for exchange between the two sides could be explored through the conference.
ZHANG Junhua pointed out that the Chinese government attaches great importance to medical innovation, and Sino-French cooperation in the field of health has been increasingly deepening in recent years, with significant achievements in cooperation on cancer research, infectious disease prevention and control, talent training, hospital management, and the health industry overall. ZJU4H, as one of China’s new medical hospitals, is full of innovative vitality in terms of management systems, clinical care, education, research, and internationalization. The conference thus provides a platform to expand their cooperation in medical and healthcare exchanges, making greater contributions to people in both countries.
XU Jian delivered a keynote speech on “Innovative Reform Practice of China’s Emerging Medical System”. He emphasized that the conference was a specific action to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state of China and France in Beijing in April. The report shared the experience of the high-quality development at ZJU4H, the International Medical Center in Yiwu and the achievements of the hospital in health technology innovation, which showcased China’s modern reform and innovation, and sparked widespread interest among the audience.
Lise Alter introduced “French Health Innovation Policies and Strategies”. She mentioned that in 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the “France 2030 Investment Plan” with a budget of 45 billion euros to encourage medical technology innovation and research. Through technological innovation, France aims to become the most innovative country in medicine and healthcare in Europe. She also expressed her hope to continue to cooperate and communicate with China in the fields of biotechnology, medical technology, and other areas.
During the roundtable session, the experts discussed various issues concerning innovation and cooperation. ZHANG Junhua and XU Jian provided valuable insights and answered several questions raised by French experts on behalf of the Chinese side, laying a solid foundation for further substantive cooperation and exchanges between the two sides.
The Sino-French High-Level Seminar, launched in December 2022, is a joint conference organized by the Talent Exchange Service Center of the NHC and the French Embassy in China to promote cooperation and exchange in the healthcare fields of China and France. In 2023, it focus on topics such as digital medicine, medical innovation, talent training, public health reform, high-quality development of hospitals, reform of medical security payment systems, and the construction of nursing homes.
Written by: Han Qiqi
Edited by: Chen Weiying
