China, ASEAN universities ally to promote medical, health care

BEIJING -- Supported by the ASEAN-China Centre, the China-ASEAN University Consortium on Medicine and Health was founded Monday in Beijing, helping deepen China-ASEAN medical and health care cooperation.

The consortium, led by the Peking University Health Science Center, has members from 42 universities and medical schools in China and ASEAN countries, including the Peking Union Medical College, Mahidol University in Thailand and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.

The consortium aims at promoting regional and global medical science and public health through in-depth exchanges and collaboration, according to a joint declaration published Monday.

Banchong Mahaisavariya, president of Mahidol University, said the consortium will serve as a platform for faculty from both China and ASEAN members to learn from each other and improve medical education and practice.

"We believe it will be a valuable platform for a win-win partnership," said Zhan Qimin, director of Peking University Health Science Center.