China CDC Holds Seminar on the Development of WHO Collaborating Centres

At the meeting, Ma Lin, Associate Research Fellow from the WHO Collaborating Centre Coordination Office in China, gave an overview of the current development of WHOCCs in China. She also shared successful experience and challenges from different types of collaborating centres. China CDC currently has the largest number of WHOCCs among domestic institutions. Its collaborating centres in several fields have become important windows for China’s participation in global health governance and for sharing China’s public health experience with the world.

Representatives from China CDC’s seven existing WHOCCs reported in turn on their main achievements in recent years and their next-step work plans. Participants had an active discussion on issues including the WHOCC designation and redesignation process, broader funding channels, and improved measures for talent training and incentives.

Director Wang noted that developing high-level WHOCCs is a key task for China CDC during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It is also an important sign of building a world-class center for disease control and prevention, and an important platform for putting the vision of a global community of health for all into practice. China CDC should strengthen support for WHOCC development and actively seek to establish more WHOCCs, he said. He stressed that WHOCC development should be guided by overall planning, mutual benefit, and coordinated progress. Looking ahead, each WHOCC should further highlight its distinctive strengths, deepen its internal capacity, and play a leading role as a centre of excellence. Their work should stay aligned with national strategies and be closely integrated with China CDC’s core responsibilities. By bringing together resources and building multi-centre, multi-network coordination mechanisms around priority health issues, WHOCCs can help bring more Chinese solutions and Chinese wisdom to the international stage, and make a positive contribution to building a global community of health for all.