Chinese delegation attends Vatican meeting

The Global Times yesterday gave the news of the participation of a group of Chinese scholars in a meeting on organ trafficking, adding that this "also creates a good impulse to expand contacts beyond the health sector towards cultural and other social areas ".

Rome (AsiaNews) - The Global Time has given great emphasis to news that Chinese scholars are taking part in a conference on organ trafficking held in the Vatican today and tomorrow, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

The Party newspaper headlined on "exchanges that promote mutual respect" and recalled that this is the second time that China has been invited by the Pontifical Academy to take part in a meeting.

China "will present its efforts to fight organ trafficking and progress in organ donation and transplantation at the Vatican meeting, said Wang Haibo, head of China's official organs distribution system, COTRS (China Organ Transplant Response System) ".

China, he said, "will call on joint efforts to eradicate organ trafficking, as it's a global challenge ". " China also expects to share its experience on promoting ethical and sustainable organ donation and transplants in countries along the Belt and Road initiative with a global task force proposed to the World Health Organization last year. More than 40 countries expressed interest and support for the effort".

Wang told the Global Times on Sunday that the exchanges between China and the Vatican reached beyond the health sector, and contact in cultural and scientific fields have brought the two sides closer. The Vatican's passion and respect for Chinese culture could be strongly felt during the trips, he said. "Relations between Beijing and the Vatican authorities are moving forward, so are relations between the two peoples," said Huang Jiefu, former Chinese vice-minister of health and current head of the National Human Organ Donation and Transplant Committee. Huang also attended the February meeting at the Vatican, where he shared information about China's reforms that included a ban on the use of organs from executed prisoners in 2015.

"The exchanges have helped address global challenges such as organ trafficking and climate change, said Wang. "The exchanges are beneficial to world peace and are also beneficial to people from the two sides. It also creates good momentum to expand contact beyond the health sector to cultural and other areas ".

China and the Vatican do not have diplomatic relations. Recent rumours spoke of  the possibility of  an imminent agreement on the nomination of bishops in China, which some observe as “a positive sign to improve relations between Beijing and the Vatican".

• China
• Vatican
• Academy of Sciences
• Organ Traffic
• Global Times