Ouyang Daobing, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, delivery a speech at the launching and donation ceremony of 2019 China-Zambia "Bright Journey" program in Lusaka, Zambia, on Dec. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Martin Mbangweta)

China and Zambia have proposed to develop a preliminary program aimed at helping the southern African nation control and eliminate malaria, an official said on Monday.

Ouyang Daobing, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, said a team of experts from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention was in Zambia last week and met with local experts and international partners to develop the program of malaria control and elimination.

He said the Chinese team worked with the Zambian experts in analyzing the current situation and actual needs of malaria control and elimination in Zambia.

The photo shows a team of medical experts from the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University who are conducting surgeries on people with eye problems in Lusaka, Zambia, on Dec. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Martin Mbangweta)

He said during the launch of the "Bright Journey" program being implemented by a team of medical experts from the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University who are conducting surgeries on people with eye problems, that the team proposed to develop a preliminary program which proposed to establish a malaria control and elimination project in two of the country's 10 provinces.

The project was expected to be established in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces to help Zambia accelerate and better achieve the national malaria elimination strategic plan.

He noted that within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China and Zambia will continue to work together to deepen pragmatic cooperation in the field of medical care and public health and jointly promote the health care system.