Lord Ara Darzi, Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, Visits China CDC

On 8 December 2025, Wang Jianwei, Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), met Lord Ara Darzi, Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, at the Changping campus of China CDC. The two sides exchanged views on antimicrobial resistance and One Health.

Director Wang welcomed Lord Darzi and noted that antimicrobial resistance has become a major challenge to global health that requires joint efforts across countries and disciplines. He pointed out that China and the United Kingdom each have their own strengths in this field and expressed the hope that the two sides will actively explore practical avenues for cooperation in joint scientific research on antimicrobial resistance, experience sharing and capacity building, so as to contribute together to global public health governance.

 

Lord Darzi introduced the Fleming Initiative led by his team. The initiative focuses on antimicrobial resistance and rests on three main pillars: science and technology innovation, public education and policy and regulatory measures. It aims to build a global collaborative network that links different sectors to address this health challenge. Lord Darzi also presented the role of artificial intelligence in speeding up drug discovery, forecasting resistance trends and supporting precision medicine, and expressed his expectation of working closely with Chinese partners in these areas.

 

Academician Xu Jianguo of the Chinese Academy of Engineering attended the meeting. Representatives from the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, the Division of Infectious Disease Control, and the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of China CDC also took part in the discussions.

 

Health Policy Counsellor Jiang Tianming of the British Embassy in China accompanied Lord Darzi on the visit.