China pledges greater contributions to human health on World Malaria Day

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said China hopes to make greater contributions to the health of humanity as the world marks Malaria Day on Monday.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory message to the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All in Beijing.

Xi said artemisinin, an effective cure for malaria, was first discovered and successfully extracted by China and has played an instrumental role in eliminating the disease in China since its discovery 50 years ago.

At the same time, China has actively championed the global rollout of artemisinin by providing drugs and technical assistance, building anti-malaria centers and training professionals, he said.

"Millions of lives around the world, especially in developing countries, have thus been saved. This is an important contribution to the global campaign against malaria and to the protection of human health," he said.

China stands ready to work with the rest of the international community, through closer exchanges and cooperation in the public health sector, to jointly tackle global threats and challenges, build a global community of health for all, and make still greater contributions to the health of people all over the world, Xi said.