RIYADH: The Kingdom will share with China its experiences in dealing with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-coronavirus and other infectious diseases in the country during a conference in that country.

The Kingdom will be represented by a team of experts on MERS at the China and Arab States Forum on health cooperation to be held in Yinchuan from Sept. 10 to 13, Dr. Nahar bin Muzki Al-Azmi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health for Hospital Affairs, told a visiting Chinese delegation on Thursday.

Yinchuan is the capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Yang Xu Lei, vice chairman of the Committee of Health and Family Planning in Ningxia, led the discussions while Al-Azmi headed the Saudi team.

Following the meeting, Al Azmi said the forum aims to promote cooperation in the field of medical technology and health development between China and Arab states.

Besides discussing the MERS issue, he said the two parties also reviewed the Kingdom’s experiences in the field of complementary and alternative medicine with illustrations from Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Baddah, the executive director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Yang told reporters that the forum will also discuss the possibility of and alliance between major medical institutions in China and the Arab states for medical and health cooperation.

An alliance declaration will be passed at the forum and a memorandum will be signed by all participants. During the forum, a series of activities will also take place, including health cooperation seminars, academic conferences and a China-Arab health industry expo, which will showcase advanced medical devices and medicines from both sides.

The theme of the program will be “Strengthening cooperation in the field of medical technology, and promoting healthy development.”

The forum, which will be attended by more than 400 representatives from various local and foreign organizations, will focus on health cooperation and organize meetings between Chinese and Arab officials on the prevention and control of communicable diseases.

An exhibition, which will run concurrently with the symposium, will showcase Chinese traditional medicines and the alternative medicines of the Arab world, China-Arab medical equipment.

The forum will also witness the signing of medical agreements between Ningxia and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.