CEO of Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control Visits China CDC

From 24 to 25 September 2025, a six member delegation from the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Gulf CDC), led by its Chief Executive Officer Dr. Pasi Penttinen, visited the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). The delegation carried out technical exchanges and gained an in-depth understanding of China CDC’s experience in building disease control systems, developing public health strategies, training professionals, and advancing technological innovation and practice. Mr. Zhang Guoxin, Party Secretary and Deputy Director General of China CDC, attended the exchange activities.

Mr. Zhang Guoxin (right) and Dr. Pasi Penttinen (left)

Mr. Zhang Guoxin with the delegation

During the talks, Mr. Zhang Guoxin noted that the friendly relations between China and the Gulf countries have stood the test of time and that cooperation in public health has yielded solid results. In particular, the two sides stood together and helped each other during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that China CDC and Gulf CDC share the same vision for cooperation and enjoy a strong foundation of mutual trust. Both institutions shoulder the mission of advancing global public health and safeguarding regional health security. The two sides have already carried out practical exchanges in areas such as public health emergency preparedness and response, infectious disease risk assessment, and epidemic information sharing. Looking to the future, he expressed the hope that cooperation will be further expanded, that development experience and achievements will be shared, and that both sides will make positive contributions to strengthening global public health security and building a global community of health for all.

Dr. Penttinen thanked the Chinese side for standing in solidarity with the Gulf countries during the pandemic and for providing support through various channels to their COVID-19 response. He noted that Gulf CDC is a newly established regional technical coordination body and said he hoped that this visit would help the delegation learn from China CDC’s valuable experience in guiding the development of disease control systems and supporting the performance of their core functions. At present, both China and the Gulf countries face the dual challenge of infectious diseases and noncommunicable diseases (NCD). He said he looked forward to using this exchange to deepen mutual understanding and identify priority areas and concrete directions for future cooperation.

Dr. Pasi Penttinen and his delegation visiting the National Influenza Center

During the visit, Dr. Penttinen and his colleagues held in-depth discussions with relevant experts from China CDC on a wide range of topics, including organizational set up, core functions, education and training, standard setting, global health cooperation, infectious disease surveillance and public health emergency response, immunization programmes, tuberculosis control, prevention and control of NCD, nutrition and health, and occupational health and poisoning control. The delegation also visited China CDC’s National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Nutrition and Health, and National Institute for Occupational Health and Poison Control.