Chinese Medical Cooperation In Africa

With Special Emphasis on the Medical Teams and Anti-Malaria Campaign

Li Anshan

Introduction

Medical cooperation between China and Africa started as early as 1963 when China sent its first medical team to Algeria. With the increase in China’s power and the implementation of the “going-out” strategy, China’s policy towards Africa became the focus of the international community, while for China, South-South cooperation became more significant. Typical of South-South cooperation is medical cooperation, which is an important part of China’s ODA. This includes Chinese medical teams (hereafter CMT),1 the anti-malaria campaign, training African medical personnel, China-supported medications, facilities and hospitals in Africa, and Chinese medical cooperation with WHO and other international institutions in Africa. While medical cooperation in general is one of the most active forms of assistance, the dispatch of CMTs by the government to undertake voluntary work in the countries concerned is the oldest and most effective form of Chinese medical cooperation in Africa (Shinn 2006; Hsu 2008; Li 2009).

After the first FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) in 2000, China accelerated its engagement in Africa. At the summit of 2006, President Hu Jintao stated that China would provide RMB 300 million in grants for securing artemisinin and building 30 malaria-prevention and treatment centres in Africa. Then the financial crisis occurred.

What is the status of these initiatives? What has been done in the past years? What form has China-Africa medical cooperation taken in past years? This chapter deals with China-Africa medical cooperation, with an emphasis on CMT and the anti-malaria campaign. It is divided into three parts: the history of China-Africa medical cooperation; current cooperation in the anti-malaria campaign, especially from 2000 to 2009; and the impact of this cooperation.

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