Officials and business representatives attend a signing ceremony during the 2021 International Medical Innovation and Cooperation Forum held in Fangchenggang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Monday. WEI RONGHE/FOR CHINA DAILY

Experts and officials called on the international community to strengthen coordinated innovation in the medical sector at the 2021 International Medical Innovation and Cooperation Forum held in Fangchenggang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Monday.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, building a community of a shared future has become more deeply rooted in people's minds. The forum was held to promote the construction of an international medical opening-up pilot zone in Fangchenggang, said Tan Pichuang, Party secretary of Fangchenggang.

Themed on strengthening international medical cooperation and building a global community of health for mankind, the forum was held online and in person, and attracted experts and officials from home and abroad to share insights.

Snong Thongsna, vice-minister of health of Laos, said that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have collaborated in various health areas.

China has supported the vaccines and medical equipment, exchanged medical data on COVID-19 and shared all experiences of management through video conferences and cooperation, the minister said.

"As a member of the international family and as a member of ASEAN, Laos firmly supports the forum on the international medical opening-up pilot zone to further promote the medical innovation and the cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I hope that through the international medical innovation and cooperation forum, we could learn more successful experiences from different partners," he said.

Vladimir Norov, secretary-general of SCO, delivered a video speech saying that setting up the medical pilot zone in Fangchenggang is a positive step for Guangxi.

The city will build a base for international pharmaceutical production and medical services, attracting investors from Russia, India, the United States and Europe, Norov said.

It is hoped that Fangchenggang will play a key role in China's national health system in the years to come, Norov added.

In 2019, construction of the international medical opening-up pilot zone in Fangchenggang began.

This year, the Chinese government has rolled out 15 policies to guide the reform and innovation in the construction of the pilot zone, and the Guangxi government issued a guideline on promoting the construction of the zone in September.

Guangxi will continue to cooperate with parties in fields including public health, traditional medicine, medical assistance and research, talent cultivation and intelligent medical care to promote innovation, and thus to achieve effective multilateral or bilateral cooperation, said Huang Junhua, vice-governor of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

As a port city, Fangchenggang is expected to become a bridge that connects international and Chinese pharmaceutical businesses, allowing cooperation with relevant parties to contribute to establishing a community of human health, said Huang Jiang, mayor of Fangchenggang.

Zhang Boli, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the pilot zone has incorporated a plan to develop the traditional medical industry, which means new opportunities for promoting the high-quality development of the traditional medical industry.

Zhang called for giving full play to the pilot zone to deepen the cooperation and development of the traditional medicine industry and promote its internationalization and industrialization.

During the forum, a total of 13 projects worth 7.48 billion yuan ($1.18 billion) in total were signed, covering sectors including medical innovation, the development of traditional medicine and medical equipment manufacturing. These signed projects signal that the pilot zone in Fangchenggang is moving into a new stage of development, according to the organizer.