China to boost life expectancy to 80 by 2030, says health minister

China will accelerate efforts to raise average life expectancy to 80 years by 2030, Health Minister Lei Haichao said on Saturday at a news conference during the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature.

To build a "Healthy China", the country will focus on promoting the high-quality development of medical and health services, deepening medical system reforms, enhancing public health security capabilities, and building a community of health for all during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), he said.

"Our basic medical and health services now cover 1.4 billion urban and rural residents. However, the service capacity still needs enhancement, and there remains an imbalance in the development of certain specialties, including pediatric medical services, mental health services, general practice medical services, and rehabilitation and nursing services," Lei said, noting that these are areas requiring further improvement during the 15th Five-Year Plan period to meet the needs of the people.

"We will continue to employ a series of advanced technological approaches, such as itinerant medical services, telemedicine, and internet-based medical consultations, to improve the equity and accessibility of medical and health services, and continue to solidify the foundation of health services for the people," he added.

To improve grassroots medical healthcare, Lei said China will uphold the principle of public welfare and further deepen its medical system reforms by establishing around 1,000 integrated county-level medical consortia. This aims to strengthen the continuity of medical and health services and ensure effective tiered medical diagnosis and treatment.

Lei also highlighted the severe threat posed by infectious diseases, emphasizing the necessity of effective epidemic prevention and control measures. This involves enhancing capabilities in areas such as vaccine development, inspection and testing, surveillance and early warning, risk assessment, and medical treatment.

In addition, over the next five years, there will be an emphasis on improving emergency response to natural disasters and ensuring a secure supply of blood.

"Health is a common pursuit of all humanity, and we all aspire to live in a stable, safe, and healthy environment. Therefore, we are committed to doing our utmost to assist developing countries, particularly those participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, by providing essential support in technology and talent to enhance their healthcare service capacities," Lei said.

Guided by the four global initiatives China has proposed, the nation aims to further strengthen international exchanges and cooperation and promote the rich heritage of traditional Chinese medicine to other countries, he added.