Beijing, April 2026 — Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, Regional Director of the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region (WPRO), concluded an official visit to China this month. The visit included high-level meetings, site visits, cross-sector dialogues, and media engagement, underscoring the ongoing collaboration and shared commitment between WPRO and China to advancing public health and addressing common health challenges.
During his time in Beijing, Dr Piukala met with Mr Lei Haichao, Minister of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, to exchange views on strengthening cooperation. Dr Piukala highlighted China’s significant progress in improving population health, including gains in life expectancy, the expansion of health system, high-coverage of medical insurance, and advances in communicable disease control and emergency preparedness. He noted China’s growing leadership in primary health care reform and its global role in advancing innovation, particularly in the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence to improve service delivery and system efficiency. Emphasizing the value of China’s experience for other countries in the Western Pacific Region, he underscored opportunities to further deepen collaboration in areas such as universal health coverage, health security, and digital health. He reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with China, including through the development of the next Country Cooperation Strategy (2027-2031) aligned with national health priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
During the visit, Dr Piukala travelled to Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, a pilot city for Phase II of the People-Centred Integrated Care (PCIC) Flagship Program jointly designed and implemented by WHO and the National Health Commission. Being implemented since 2021, the PCIC Program serves as a system-level reform platform to advance PHC-oriented, integrated health system reform across governance, financing, service delivery, workforce and digital health.
In Suzhou, Dr Piukala visited Health and Medical Digital Innovation Lab, the municipal CDC health education centre, Xiangcheng People’s Hospital, and Yuanhe Community Health Service Centre. He commended Suzhou’s strong commitment and concrete actions to place health at the centre of city development, as part of its ambition to build a “healthy highland”. He was impressed by how the city is harnessing data, digital health and artificial intelligence to strengthen service integration and primary care capacity—including the use of tools such as remote electrocardiography and imaging to bring timely specialist support to community level. Noting the relevance of these experiences beyond China, he encouraged sharing Suzhou’s lessons with other countries in the Western Pacific Region and beyond.
Dr Piukala and the WPRO delegation also visited the WHO Country Office in China and met with representatives from Chinese philanthropic organizations, private sector foundations, and philanthropic research institutions. Discussions explored collaboration in areas including digital health, emergency preparedness, mental health, noncommunicable disease management, and health promotion. The exchanges highlighted opportunities to align China’s experience with global health priorities and to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration.
During his visit, Dr Piukala published an op-ed in China Daily titled “Healthy progress in the Western Pacific.” The article highlights the Region’s diversity and evolving health challenges, while noting progress in disease control and ongoing pressures from noncommunicable diseases and climate change. It also recognizes China’s achievements in public health and its contributions to regional health development, and emphasizes the importance of continued cooperation to advance Health for All.
Dr Piukala’s visit further strengthened collaboration between WHO’s Western Pacific Region and China. Discussions focused on shared priorities, including primary health care, digital health, climate resilience, and cross-sector collaboration, in line with the regional vision of “Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies.” At a critical juncture for advancing the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, the visit provides renewed momentum for building more equitable and resilient health systems.