Exciting Updates from the 8th Global China Dialogue

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 revealed many weaknesses in our healthcare systems and structures across the world and showed that health is a challenge that requires global governance and cooperation. Other issues such as climate change, the global prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, inadequate access to healthcare services and the lack of health workers globally also show that the need for global cooperation to deal with transnational challenges has never been greater.

The 8th Global China Dialogue explored the challenges and opportunities for global health governance, especially in the Chinese context, given China’s ageing population, continued economic growth and desire to reimagine healthcare management and governance. The Healthy China 2030 strategy emphasizes the need to develop the health sector in China. China has also instituted significant regulatory reforms in the health sector, while considering healthcare in the new global governance framework.

The GCD8 was co-organized by the Global China Academy in collaboration with the UCL Global Business School for Health, the ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science at Lancaster University, UK, and the College of Arts and Media at Tongji University, China. It received support and sponsorship from numerous universities, institutions and companies. 

The GCD8 and associated events, held on December 8, 2023, at the prestigious British Academy and UK Parliament, brought together scholars and experts from the UK, China, and France for an enlightening hybrid offline and online conference. Delving into the complexities of global health governance, the dialogue consisted of four insightful panels:

• Global Health and System Integration
• The Challenges of Global Health Governance
• Communicating to Improve Global Health
• Health Governance in the Digital Space

The ‘Photo Report’ below contains about 2,100 words and 130 photos, and includes links for viewing or downloading almost all the speech notes or PowerPoint presentations from the GCD8.

Photo report: The 8th Global China Dialogue — Governance for Global Health and the Global China Academy’s 10th Anniversary

Friday, 08:30-17:00, 8 December 2023 at the British Academy, followed by a Celebration Reception and Dinner at the House of Lords 

Opening session

Greetings from political and academic figures

Chair: Professor Tony McEnery 托尼·麦肯尼教授 FAcSS FRSA FGCA and Chair of Global China Academy Council, Distinguished Professor of English Language and Linguistics at Lancaster University; Council Member, Academy of Social Sciences (right in panel)

Speakers (from left to right):

• Minister Wang Qi 王起of the Chinese Embassy to the UK said that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on global public health and socio-economic development. Only by joining hands to build a global community of health for all can we effectively maintain and promote the safety and sustainable development of human life and health.
• Professor Ibrahim Abubakar 易卜拉欣阿布巴卡尔, Pro-Provost (Health) and Dean of Faculty of Population Health Sciences at UCL, emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing major global health challenges, such as the climate crisis, infectious diseases and health inequalities. He underscored the necessity of collaborative efforts, data-driven policies and equitable access to healthcare to improve health outcomes worldwide.
• Professor LI Linxue 李麟学, Dean of the College of Arts and Media and Distinguished Professor of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, stated that the health sector is increasingly becoming a focal point of attention for the entire society. In the fields of urban planning and urban environmental design, healthy cities, communities and architecture, there is vast potential for development in emerging technologies such as big data, intelligence, simulation and green low-carbon construction.
• Professor Martin Albrow 马丁阿尔布劳, the Founding and Past Honorary President of the Global China Academy, provided some insights into the GCA’s history and announced the 10th anniversary of the Global China Academy, including a reception and celebration dinner.

The photos below illustrate keynote speeches, panel discussions and closing remarks at the Global China Dialogue, as well as the Reception and Dinner. Additionally, there are images from the Q&A sessions and networking opportunities during breaks. It is hoped that this combination of images and text will promote dynamic dialogue for interested readers, regardless of whether or not they participated in GCD8.

Keynotes speeches

‘Global Governance and Health: Navigating the Complex Landscape’. Professor Nora Colton 诺拉·科尔顿教授视频, Director of UCL Global Business School for Health [online greeting]. Her presentation was delivered by Professor Colton’s colleague Professor Kabir Sheikh卡比尔·谢赫教授代读, UCL GBSH). Click to download the following items: greetings, speech notes and PowerPoint presentation.

 ‘The Development of Healthy China in the Digital Era’, Professor HUANG Gang 黄钢教授, Founding President of Shanghai Health Medical College, Distinguished Chair Professor of Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China [online]. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation in English and Chinese.

Group photo at the end of the Opening session.

Panel I: Global Health and System Integration

Chair:  Professor Jolene Skordis 乔琳·斯科迪斯教授, Institute of Global Health, University College London

Plenary speakers (from left to right):

• ‘Mixed Health Systems in Asia and the Challenge of Governance’, Professor Kabir Sheikh 卡比尔谢赫教授, Global Business School for Health, former Policy Adviser for the World Health Organization (WHO). Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Interconnectedness and Competition in the Global Health System’, Professor Gerry Bloom 格里布鲁姆教授, Research Fellow and Co-Convenor of the Health and Nutrition Research Cluster, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. Click to download the speech notes and PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Integration and Innovation: The Logic and Practice of China’s Active Health Strategy in the Era of Population Ageing’, Professor HOU Shengtian 侯胜田教授, Professor of School of Management, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine; Director of the Health Industry Research Centre of the National Institute of Chinese Medicine Development and Strategy, China [online]. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation (in Chinese and English).
• ‘Integration and Cooperation: The Empirical Solution of Global Health Development’, Dr Peter Jeng 郑荣昌博士, CEO and Founder of China Britain Healthcare Consulting, UK; Deputy Secretary General of EU–China Commission, Belgium [online]. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.

Panel II: The Challenges of Global Health Governance

Chair: Ms Suzanne Wait 苏珊娜·维特女士, Managing Director of Health Policy Partnership and a Health Executive in Residence at GBSH, UCL

Plenary speakers (from left to right):

• ‘Building the Tools of Global Health Governance: The Case of Coronavirus’, Dr Joël Ruet 周瑞博士 , CNRS researcher at i3, Ecole Polytechnique; Senior Adviser Technology for Change and President of The Bridge Tank (G20 Think Tank Member), France
• ‘The Problems Faced by Medical Aesthetics: Challenges in Global Health Governance’, Dr LIAO Nong 廖农医师, Chief Physician of the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Challenge from an Ageing Society: The Urgency and Strategy of China’s Health Industry Development’, Professor YIN Weihai 殷卫海教授, Professor and Deputy Dean of the School of Biomedical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China [online] Click to download the PowerPoint presentation in English and Chinese.
• ‘Utilising Multi-disciplinary Research to Promote Global Health System Preparedness: Early Evidence from China’, Dr Yuxi Zhang 张予曦博士, Assistant Professor in Health Policy and Systems, Global Business School for Health, University College London, UK. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.

Panel III: Communicating to Improve Global Health

Chair: Professor Paul Baker 保罗·贝克教授, Department of Linguistics and English Language, Lancaster University

Plenary speakers (from left to right)

• ‘Understanding and Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy’, Professor Elena Semino 埃琳娜塞米诺教授 FAcSS FRSA, Director of the ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science, Lancaster University, UK. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Public Communication about Dementia: Identifying and Challenging Stigma’, Dr Gavin Brookes 加文布鲁克斯博士, Reader in Linguistics and UKRI Future Leader Fellow with an interest in corpus linguistics, discourse analysis and health communication, Lancaster University; and Dr Emma Putland 艾玛·普特兰博士, Senior Research Associate, Lancaster University, UK. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Evolution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Discourse in British Newspapers: A Corpus-Based Diachronic Study’, Professor QIAN Yufang 钱毓芳教授, Director of Institute of Corpus and Discourse Studies, School of Foreign Studies, Zhejiang Gongshang University, China. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Making Global and Local: Viruses as a Media’, Professor WANG Xin 王鑫教授, Head of Department of Communication, College of Arts and Media, Tongji University, China [online]. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Supporting Health Engagement and Co-creation’, Dr Marzena Nieroda 马泽纳涅罗达博士, Lecturer in Marketing and Commercialization for Healthcare at UCL Global Business School for Health (GBSH), University College London, UK. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.

Panel IV: Health Governance in the Digital Space

Chair: Dr Kim Yahya 金·叶海亚博士, a biomedical scientist who has worked in a variety of settings from academia to biotech companies in the UK

Plenary speakers (from left to right)

• ‘Capitalising on the Health Data Gold Mine: Using Federated Learning to Engage China in the Global Health Data Space’, Professor Simcha Jong 辛查钟教授, Professor of Management and Healthcare Innovation, Director DBA Health programme, UCL Global Business School for Health, UK. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘The Evolution of Health Governance in the Digital Health Space’, Professor Adam Dubis 亚当杜比斯教授, Deputy Director of Research and Programme Lead for MSc Digital Health and Entrepreneurship at UCL’s Global Business School for Health, University College London, UK. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘Hainan Free Trade Port: Challenges and Opportunities for Health’, by Professor NING Yi 宁毅教授, Professor and Dean of School of Public Health, Hainan Medical University, China [online]. Click to download the PowerPoint presentation.
• ‘A New Culture of Governance for an Inclusive Digital Future’, Dr Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos 迪米特里奥斯卡洛格罗普洛斯博士, Health Executive in Residence at GBSH, UCL, and CEO of Global Health and Digital Innovation Foundation, UK. Click to download the speech notes and PowerPoint presentation.

Closing session

Chair: Professor Xiangqun Chang 常向群教授, FRSA FGCA and President of Global China Academy; Honorary Professor of University College London (2015-20); Distinguished Professor of Nankai University of China; UK (right)

Closing remarks:

• ‘An Off-the-Cuff Summary of the Dialogue’s Main Themes’, Professor Tony McEnery 托尼麦肯尼教授, FAcSS FRSA FGCA and Chair of Global China Academy Council; Council Member of Academy of Social Sciences; Distinguished Professor of English Language and Linguistics at Lancaster University. He highlighted the interdisciplinary and engaging discussions that had occurred throughout the day, touching on various aspects of health, governance, trust and the role of traditional and modern medicine. The Dialogue emphasized the importance of listening, valuing diverse perspectives and the enriching nature of such exchanges. It also hinted at future discussions on AI and ethics, emphasizing the critical intersection of healthcare, decision-making and ethical considerations in the deployment of AI technologies. The day was summarized as insightful, stimulating a broadened perspective on health and governance, underscored by the foundational role of trust in scientific and medical expertise.
• ‘Upholding the Spirit of Open Cooperation, Building a Healthy Global Society for Mankind’, Mr FAN Daqi 范大祺副院长, Deputy Director and Chief Translator/Editor of the Academy of Contemporary China and World (ACCWS), China [pre-recorded video]. Fan Daqi’s closing speech was delivered in Chinese. He focused on the imperative of open cooperation and building a global health community. He discussed the impact of the pandemic, the importance of addressing global health governance and the need for dialogue and cooperation beyond geographical and systemic differences. Fan emphasized the role of think tanks, universities and research institutions in knowledge sharing and collaborative research to enhance global health governance. He advocated for a common health community, emphasizing sovereign equality, equity and the consideration of vulnerable groups’ rights and well-being. Fan also highlighted China’s contributions to global health governance and called for increased international cooperation to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Click to download the speech notes in Chinese and English.

Q & A sessions

Networking during registration, tea/coffee breaks and lunch

That evening, a Reception and Dinner were hosted at the House of Lords in the UK Parliament. Click here to view and download the related speech notes. 

We have a large collection of photos from the 8th Global China Dialogue (GCD 8), and we’ve selected essential shots for publication on our photo report webpage. We encourage readers to explore the site to view many more photos that capture the essence of the event. This photo review showcases participants and highlights from the opening session, panel discussions, and networking breaks. It also includes the reception that marked the launch of new websites for the Global China Academy and the Global Century Press. Additionally, featured is the dinner celebrating the conclusion of the 8th Global China Dialogue and the 10th anniversary of the Global China Academy.

We are excited to share the profound insights and discussions presented by our esteemed speakers. Their expertise and contributions made this dialogue a landmark event in advancing the discourse on global health governance.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the organisers, supporters, sponsors, chairs, speakers, participants and volunteers who made this event a grand success. Your active engagement and insightful contributions are invaluable to the ongoing conversation on global health.

Don’t miss out on the enriching content from the 8th Global China Dialogue. Visit the GCD 8 website now to explore the photo reviews, speeches, presentations, and more!

• Click here to visit Photo Highlights: Global China Dialogue VIII (2023), New Website Launches for Global China Academy and Global Century Press, and 10th Anniversary of Global China Academy.
• Click here to visit Photo Highlights: Registration and Opening Session, including Greetings, Special Address, Keynote Speeches, and Announcement of Events Relating to GCA’s 10th Anniversary.
• Click here to visit Photo highlights: Panel I — Global Health and System Integration.
• Click here to visit Photo highlights: Panel II — The Challenges of Global Health Governance.
• Click here to visit Photo highlights: Panel III — Communicating to Improve Global Health.
• Click here to visit Photo highlights: Panel IV — Health Governance in the Digital Space and Closing Session.
• Clich here to visit the GCD 8 Website.