China's position in negotiating the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the revised International Health Regulations

China and the WHO pandemic treaty: a dive into stance, underpinnings, and implications

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in global health governance, catalyzing proposals for a new WHO pandemic treaty. This paper investigates China's stance on the treaty, recognizing it as reflective of many developing countries' concerns, through a qualitative analysis of its interventions during the treaty's drafting and negotiations and an examination of historical and geopolitical factors. Findings reveal China's emphasis on respecting state sovereignty, differentiated obligations for developing nations, preventing stigma, and concrete capacity building-concerns shared across the Global South. Its posture balances pragmatism and principle, reflecting differentiated responsibilities as a major power and developing country along with philosophical divergences from Western legal thinking. While endorsing global cooperation, China insists on voluntary terms without impinging on policy space. Implications suggest that accommodating China's concerns about invasive compliance mechanisms and inequitable burdens through flexible provisions can shape the treaty's acceptance and architecture. Creative solutions reconciling sovereignty and collective action combined with concrete equity measures and depoliticized cooperation will determine the treaty's success. China's major role indicates its endorsement, representative of the Global South's voice, is essential for an impactful pandemic treaty and reformed global health governance.

Effects of global and domestic tobacco control policies on cigarette consumption per capita: an evaluation using monthly data in China

INTRODUCTION

China consumes 44% of the world's cigarettes. Robust tobacco control measures are needed to contain the trend of increasing cigarette consumption. This paper examines the effectiveness of policy interventions introduced in China on reducing the country's tobacco use.

METHODS

The paper uses data on China's monthly cigarette consumption per capita from January 2000 to June 2017 to estimate the impact of specific policies on China's tobacco consumption. Tobacco consumption is calculated from monthly sales data from the China National Tobacco Corporation and demographic data from the China National Bureau of Statistics. The policies studied include the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), national tobacco-related policy changes and two tobacco tax increases implemented in China during the study period. Segmented regression analysis is used to estimate the immediate effects of the policies studied and changes in the time trends resulted from these policy changes.

FINDINGS

The impact of national policy changes in China is almost 20 times greater than the impact of the WHO FCTC treaty itself, and national policy changes in tobacco control are a determining factor in reversing the trend of increasing tobacco consumption in China. The 2015 tax increase, which raised retail cigarette prices, produced both immediate and trend effects, with a total incremental effect 7.8 times that of the 2009 tax increase, which did not result in higher cigarette prices for the consumer.

INTERPRETATIONS

Translating global tobacco control policies into domestic policies will generate a much greater impact on reducing average cigarette consumption, and tobacco taxes that are reflected in the retail prices of cigarettes will be more effective in reducing cigarette consumption.

Chinese Global Health Diplomacy in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

China has become a key actor in global health diplomacy, particularly in Africa, but little attention has been given to the evolution of Chinese health assistance to African states. This paper conceptualizes Chinese health diplomacy in Africa over the past fifty years through three analytic frameworks: realist vs. constructivist motivations in international relations, vertical vs. horizontal initiatives for health assistance, and bilateral vs. multilateral approaches to global health. Drawing lessons from the evolution of American health assistance, we argue that a better understanding of these frameworks-recognizing why countries pursue health diplomacy, what vertical and horizontal strategies they use, and how they engage in this work bilaterally or multilaterally-could improve global health diplomacy.

International institutions and China's health policy

This article examines the role of international institutional actors in China's health policy process. Particular attention is paid to three major international institutional actors: the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through process tracing and comparative case studies, the article looks at how international institutions contribute to policy change in China and seeks to explain different outcomes in the relationship between international institutions and China's health policies. It finds that despite the opaque and exclusive authoritarian structure in China, international institutions play a significant role in the country's domestic health governance. By investing their resources and capabilities selectively and strategically, international institutions can change the preferences of government policy makers, move latent public health issues to the government's agenda, and affect the timing of government action and the content of policy design. Furthermore, the study suggests that different outcomes in the relationship between China's health policies and global health governance can be explained through the seriousness of the externalities China faces.

Cancer control programs in East Asia: evidence from the international literature

Cancer is a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world, including the countries of North-East and South-East Asia. Assessment of burden through cancer registration, determination of risk and protective factors, early detection and screening, clinical practice, interventions for example in vaccination, tobacco cessation efforts and palliative care all should be included in comprehensive cancer control programs. The degree to which this is possible naturally depends on the resources available at local, national and international levels. The present review concerns elements of cancer control programs established in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan in North-East Asia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia as representative larger countries of South-East Asia for comparison, using the published literature as a guide. While major advances have been made, there are still areas which need more attention, especially in South-East Asia, and international cooperation is essential if standard guidelines are to be generated to allow effective cancer control efforts throughout the Far East.

Cancer is a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world, including the countries of North-East and South-East Asia. Assessment of burden through cancer registration, determination of risk and protective factors, early detection and screening, clinical practice, interventions for example in vaccination, tobacco cessation efforts and palliative care all should be included in comprehensive cancer control programs. The degree to which this is possible naturally depends on the resources available at local, national and international levels. The present review concerns elements of cancer control programs established in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan in North-East Asia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia as representative larger countries of South-East Asia for comparison, using the published literature as a guide. While major advances have been made, there are still areas which need more attention, especially in South-East Asia, and international cooperation is essential if standard guidelines are to be generated to allow effective cancer control efforts throughout the Far East.