Recently, at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the ambassadors from Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka visit WCH. President Li Yanrong and Vice President Yao Leye of SCU, President Li Weimin of WCH and Academician Wei Yuquan, director of the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, attended the meeting.

After reviewing the history of friendly exchanges and cooperation between Sichuan University and these five countries, President Li Yanrong said that WCH of Sichuan University is one of the birthplaces of higher education for modern medicine in China. In recent years, it has participated in disaster alleviation and relief activities in South Asian countries for many times, and sent many medical teams to the anti-pandemic frontline at home and abroad. He hoped the visits of ambassadors from these five countries would further drive exchanges and cooperation between Sichuan University and South Asian countries.

Later, President Li Weimin briefed the situation of WCH, which, as an important member of the “National Team” , has set up the world’s first highest-level non-military international emergency rescue team certified by WHO. It has participated in medical rescues in many major domestic and international disasters and public events, including the 2015 Nepal earthquake. As a well-known research-oriented school of clinical medicine in China, WCH has trained more than 400 medical professionals for South Asian countries, most of whom have returned to their motherlands and become the backbone in the local medical and healthcare sectors.

Afterwards, Academician Wei Yuquan gave a detailed introduction of the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and its current progress in the research and development of recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine.

The five ambassadors expressed their gratitude to SCU and WCH for the warm reception, and held heated discussions on the current research and development, clinical trials and later application of vaccines; they also hoped to further strengthen cooperation in talent training, cultural exchanges, scientific research, medicine and healthcare and other fields.

After the meeting, these ambassadors visited the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and learned about the R&D of related drugs.