A press conference held by the China International Development Cooperation Agency Photo: Shen Sheng/GT

The China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and the Gates Foundation will continue to deepen cooperation on global health and development, expanding joint efforts in Africa, Asia, and beyond to tackle malaria, polio, poverty, and climate challenges, CIDCA spokesperson Li Ming told the Global Times on Wednesday. Their joint malaria elimination project, conducted with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in The Gambia, has already achieved early progress, delivering concrete health benefits to local communities.

The spokesperson made these remarks at a press conference on Wednesday in response to inquiries about whether the two sides have specific initiatives, following Chinese Premier Li Qiang's meeting last month in New York with Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation. Gates noted that the foundation looks forward to further strengthening ties with China and carrying out more substantive cooperation in global health, particularly in developing countries, to jointly advance global development efforts.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang expressed hope in September that Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation will play a role in the continued deepening of exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States for more practical results, Xinhua News Agency reported on September 24.

China is ready to expand cooperation with the foundation by carrying out more cooperative projects across the entire health chain globally and actively engaging in trilateral and multilateral cooperation with developing countries to better benefit people and make greater contributions to global development, said the Chinese premier, according to Xinhua.

Li expressed his hope that the foundation will continue to strengthen cooperation with relevant Chinese departments and local partners, leverage platforms such as the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute in Beijing and the Shanghai Center of Excellence for Global Health and Development, to implement cooperative projects, Xinhua reported.

"CIDCA will fully implement the consensus reached between Premier Li Qiang and Bill Gates, and further explore cooperation potential and expand partnerships with the Gates Foundation," said the spokesperson. "CIDCA maintains regular exchanges and collaboration with the Foundation, with great potential for joint efforts to address global health challenges and improve the well-being of people in developing countries. The two sides have formally signed a memorandum of understanding before and established a joint working group to ensure regular coordination."

Li Ming noted that these collaborations not only reflect China's responsible participation in global health governance, but also serve as a successful example of the international community working together to tackle global challenges.

He added that both sides will continue to explore third-party project cooperation in Africa, Asia, and other regions on health issues such as malaria and polio elimination, as well as poverty alleviation, agricultural development, and climate change response. They also aim to innovate financing models to achieve early results and jointly advance the Global Development Initiative and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.