On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the World Health Organization inaugurated the Collaborating Center for Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention and Innovations in Guangzhou, the capital of China's Guangdong Province. The center is hosted by the Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University (SMU) and SMU’s Institute for Global Health.
Yang Bin, the center’s director, said it will conduct systematic, forward‑looking international research focused on capacity building, testing innovation and application, and developing a surveillance system. By 2030, the center plans to train 100 senior STI prevention and control professionals for 15 low‑ and middle‑income countries, prioritizing Africa and Southeast Asia.
The center will develop three to five practical, scalable strategies to optimise point‑of‑care testing. For surveillance, it will create standardized, user‑friendly data collection tools, conduct pilot verification in priority African countries, and build an operational data integration and sharing platform that aligns with international systems.
"The center would further deepen its engagement in developing relevant international guidelines, contribute more research evidence, support STI surveillance and capacity building across countries globally, and provide expert advice to support global public health governance," said Hannah Monica Dias of WHO.
China has demonstrated its commitment to multilateralism through medical cooperation. In 2025, it dispatched 1,061 medical personnel to 57 countries, serving more than 2.06 million patients. The country has also supported malaria control efforts in African and Southeast Asian nations, and under the 2022‑2026 China‑WHO Country Cooperation Strategy, has expanded joint programs such as people‑centered integrated healthcare delivery systems and schistosomiasis elimination initiatives in Cambodia and Laos.
