Tunis hosts forum to boost China-Africa cooperation in medicine

Tunisian Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani addresses the first Tunis Forum on the Development of Sino-African Medicine in Tunis, Tunisia, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

TUNIS, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- The first Tunis Forum on the Development of Sino-African Medicine opened on Friday in the Tunisian capital, bringing together officials, medical experts, and business representatives from China and across Africa.

Co-organized by the Tunisian Health Ministry and China's National Health Commission, the two-day forum aims to strengthen public health cooperation and deepen medical exchanges between China and African countries.

In a video address, Lei Haichao, head of China's National Health Commission, said China is ready to work with African partners to bolster public health systems and expand cooperation in areas including infectious disease control and maternal and child health.

Tunisian Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani said the forum sought to build an equitable China-Africa partnership, reflecting Tunisia's view of health as a fundamental human right.

He noted Tunisia's long-standing role as a bridge for China-Africa medical cooperation, dating back to the first Chinese medical mission in 1973. Ferjani described the forum as an unprecedented platform combining Tunisian expertise, Chinese scientific capacity and African ambitions for health development.

Hundreds of medical professionals from China and more than a dozen African countries are attending the event. 

Lei Haichao, head of China's National Health Commission, delivers a video speech at the first Tunis Forum on the Development of Sino-African Medicine in Tunis, Tunisia, Nov. 21, 2025. The forum opened on Friday in the Tunisian capital, bringing together officials, medical experts, and business representatives from China and across Africa.

Co-organized by the Tunisian Health Ministry and China's National Health Commission, the two-day forum aims to strengthen public health cooperation and deepen medical exchanges between China and African countries. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

Guests attend the first Tunis Forum on the Development of Sino-African Medicine in Tunis, Tunisia, Nov. 21, 2025. The forum opened on Friday in the Tunisian capital, bringing together officials, medical experts, and business representatives from China and across Africa.

Co-organized by the Tunisian Health Ministry and China's National Health Commission, the two-day forum aims to strengthen public health cooperation and deepen medical exchanges between China and African countries. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)