In brief
On November 7, 2026, the WHO launched a collaborating center for STI prevention and innovations in Guangzhou, China, hosted by Southern Medical University. The center will conduct research, develop point‑of‑care testing strategies and build a data‑sharing platform, with a target of training 100 senior STI professionals by 2030. China’s prior medical cooperation and support for malaria and schistosomiasis control illustrate its expanding partnership with the WHO.
The World Health Organization opened a new collaborating center for sexually transmitted infection prevention and innovations in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, on Saturday. The facility, hosted by the Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University and its Institute for Global Health, aims to strengthen capacity in low‑ and middle‑income countries.
Yang Bin, director of the center, said the program will conduct systematic, forward‑looking international research focused on capacity building, testing innovation and surveillance system development. By 2030, the center plans to train 100 senior STI prevention and control professionals for 15 low‑ and middle‑income countries, with priority areas of Africa and Southeast Asia.
In addition to training, the center will develop three to five practical, scalable point‑of‑care testing strategies, said Yang. The center will also introduce standardized, simple tools for STI surveillance, pilot verification and local application in priority African countries, and build a data integration and sharing platform compatible with international systems.
WHO’s Hannah Monica Dias said the center would deepen engagement in developing international guidelines, increase research evidence, support surveillance and capacity building worldwide, and provide expert advice to strengthen global public‑health governance.
China’s stance on multilateral cooperation is demonstrated by its large medical contributions in 2025 when it sent 1,061 medical personnel to 57 countries, serving more than 2.06 million patients. The country also backs malaria control across Africa and Southeast Asia, and has piloted people‑centered integrated health‑delivery systems under the China‑WHO Country Cooperation Strategy for 2022‑2026. Collaborative programs have helped Cambodia and Laos move toward schistosomiasis elimination.
Yang also highlighted the center’s role in fostering research that addresses the unique challenges faced by Chinese and global partners. The collaboration will build on existing WHO initiatives, including the World Health Organization’s global strategy for STI prevention and control launched in 2023.
The opening ceremony saw attendance of WHO regional director Dr. Samuel Kibet, WHO’s chief global health adviser, and representatives from the China National Center for Infectious Diseases. During the event, Dr. Kibet underscored the importance of strengthening global health security by enhancing surveillance and rapid response capacities, particularly in regions where STI burden remains high.
Southern Medical University stated that the center’s research agenda will include epidemiological mapping of STI prevalence and resistance patterns, development of rapid diagnostic tests suited to low‑resource settings, and training modules tailored to local health‑system contexts.
In consultation with African and Southeast Asian partners, the center will set up a data platform that will aggregate STI case data and facilitate real‑time sharing of trends, enabling faster public‑health interventions.
Although the center’s long‑term milestones are clear, details of funding mechanisms, selection criteria for trainees and the exact pace of implementation will be established as the program progresses. The WHO and National Center for Infectious Diseases have signaled their commitment to sustain this effort, but future resource allocations remain to be clarified.
The inauguration marks a significant step in China’s ongoing collaboration with WHO, expanding from disease‑specific initiatives such as malaria and schistosomiasis to broader infectious‑disease control capacity building.
As WHO negotiates new partnerships and leverages China’s medical diplomacy, the Guangzhou center represents a concrete vehicle for advancing global STI prevention, surveillance and treatment strategies.
