Experts urge stronger collaboration on global health

Global and Chinese public health experts are urging stronger international collaboration to build an equitable, resilient and innovative system to address mounting public health challenges.

The appeal came in an initiative launched during the 2025 Asia Pacific Congress on Public Health, held by the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association in Boao, Hainan province, from Friday to Sunday.

The initiative was issued jointly by the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, the World Federation of Public Health Associations, and public health associations from New Zealand, the United States, Japan, Australia and Vietnam, as well as the Asia Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza.

The Asia Pacific region, home to more than half of the global population, faces a range of public health challenges including fragmented regional governance, widening health inequalities, emerging threats driven by climate change and barriers to digital transformation.

To tackle these issues, the initiative outlines a "four-in-one" action plan.

It calls for strengthened joint prevention and control mechanisms by establishing efficient cross-border surveillance and early warning systems for infectious diseases, sharpening preparedness for acute respiratory infections such as influenza, and bolstering cooperation on controlling vector-borne diseases and safeguarding regional biosafety.

The plan also stresses integrating chronic disease management and mental health services into essential public health programs. It urges improved healthcare services for vulnerable groups, including older adults and people with physical or mental disabilities, and ramped-up efforts in tobacco control, mental health promotion, vaccination and other public health interventions.

In response to climate-related health risks, the initiative calls for targeted risk assessment mechanisms, wider use of climate-health technologies and faster development of climate-resilient health infrastructure and living environments.

It also underscores the importance of leveraging digital technologies to enhance health systems, while ensuring innovation benefits all and does not deepen inequality.

According to the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, the congress featured presentations by more than 100 medical and public health experts and researchers, attracting over 750 participants worldwide.