The Annual Academic Conference 2018 of Chinese Society of Global Health (CSGH) was held in Beijing on August 16, 2018. The committee members, representatives of member units as well as the relevant personnel engaged in global health research attended this conference.

At the conference, Wu Fang, Director of the West Asia and Africa Institute of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, was invited to give a lecture entitled “Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Africa”. Director Wu Fang said, to promote the development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation in the future, not only African countries should make great efforts to improve their domestic business environment, but also Chinese government and African governments should strengthen coordination and communication between them to make policies to support enterprises to go out. Besides, enterprises should avoid risks, cultivate talents, and strengthen their localized management, which are in accord with the principle of going out, communicating and cooperating, government support and focusing on talents cultivation insisted on by Chinas global health development. Dr. Adiele Nkasiobi Onyeze, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Tanzania, introduced the opportunities and challenges in public health cooperation between China and Africa. Cheng Feng, professor of Tsinghua University presented a report entitled "China’s Program for Global Health in the New Age”. Professor Han Tieru introduced the WHO’s national cooperation strategy and its reference value to Chinas global health cooperation. Wang Qi, doctor of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, taking the practice of Chinese experts in using compound artemisinin for rapid malaria control in Comoros as an example, analyzed the roles and functions of the interested parties in the control of major infectious diseases in Central Africa under the background of the Belt and Road Initiative. The participants benefited greatly from the excellent presentations by the experts.

CSGH has attached great importance to cultivation of young talents. Yan Lijing, professor of Duke Kunshan University, and Xiang Hao, professor of Wuhan University had been invited to investigate and analyze the employment of the masters of global health from Duke Kunshan University and Duke University, as well as the bachelors of global health from Wuhan University respectively. They introduced the results the two universities had achieved in cultivation of talents in global health and their future plans for talent cultivation. Young scholars and postgraduates from Wuhan University, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, China CDC, and other universities and research institutes had made speeches in their respective research fields to exchange their opinions, which had been highly praised by the participating experts. 

During the academic conference, the Second Standing Committee 2018 of CSGH was held. The meeting has discussed and determined the annual work plan for CSGH in 2019 and proposed strengthening talents’ construction, with particular attention to cultivation of young backbones, thus attracting more young talents to participate in the activities organized by CSGH. CSGH plans to recruit several young members in 2019.

Researcher Xiao Ning, secretary-general of CSGH concluded, the Belt and Road Initiative has been deeply rooted in the peoples heart, and Chinas influence is growing. The principle of going out to participate in global governance as well as achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration is a general trend. Only if China sums up its experience and resolves the conflicts between its technology and products and international rules can Chinas experience and technology really go out and gain access to a wider market.