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BEIJING, Aug. 17-- Officials and experts from China, Africa, the African Union and other international organizations gathered in Beijing Friday at a session themed "China-Africa Cooperation in Maternal and Newborn Health." The session, co-organized by China's National Health Commission (NHC), UNICEF and the African Union, was part of the High-Level Meeting on China-Africa Health Cooperation that opened Friday. Approximately 7,000 newborns die every day from mostly preventable causes, according to the UN. A child in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 38 percent of global neonatal deaths, is nine times more likely to die in the first month than a child in a high-income country. China is one of few countries that has seen a rapid reduction of neonatal and under-five mortality rates in recent decades, benefiting from efforts such as promoting hospital deliveries and basic health insurance. "We see China as an extremely important development actor for Africa, and we see great scope for aid and investment to be expanded together in the maternal, newborn and child health arena," said Shahida Azfar, UNICEF deputy executive director. "China-Africa South-South Cooperation is a win-win partnership." The delegates discussed progress in maternal and child health in China and Africa, South-South pilot programs experiences, and transferability of China's experiences, and expressed their hope of making more of China's policies and interventions, including those in its underdeveloped areas, to benefit Africa under South-South Cooperation. | 
