In 2002, the relations between Chinaand the World Health Organization remained steady.

From 14-21 January, the 109thmeeting of the WHO Executive Board took place in Geneva. The meeting dealt with such technical and health-related issues as ensuring accessibility of essential medicines, health system performance assessment, sequencing of countries as well as assessed contributions and the working methods of the Executive Board. The meeting, by way of roll call, voted unanimously against the inclusion in its agenda of the draft resolution entitled Invitation to the Republic of China to Attend the WHO Assembly as Observer. This was the first time that such a draft resolution appeared at the WHO Executive Board meeting.

May 13-18, the 55thWHO Assembly met in Geneva. The Assembly deliberated on WHO drug strategy, the working methods of the Executive Board, global AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria funds and other 30 items and adopted 25 resolutions and 2 decisions. In the course of the Assembly, a ministerial roundtable devoted to the health risk was convened and a workshop regarding the traditional medicine strategy and technique were also held. Zhang Wenkang, the Chinese health minister led the delegation. In his address to the roundtable, he expressed his approval to the idea of WHO to encourage countries to give attention to the assessment of health risks, and called on WHO to be supportive of the capacity-building in the developing countries.

This Assembly decided once again not to include in the additional agenda items the draft resolution regarding "Invitation to the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Attend the WHO Assembly as Observer". That was the sixth consecutive time the WHO Assembly rejected the Taiwan-related draft resolution.

From 24-27 June, Chinahosted the 10thinternational drug administration agencies meeting in Hong Kong.

From 16-20 September, the 53rdSession of the WHO Regional Council for the West Pacific took place in Kyoto, Japan. Huang Jiefu, vice health minister headed the Chinese delegation to the session which reviewed the annual report by the director of the Regional Council, proposed budget 2004-2005, global fund, role of the health sector in the public health and health-related ethical issues. The Session adopted nine resolutions.

18 December, a China-WHO workshop on macro-economy and health was held in Beijing, China . The event was accompanied by the promotional ceremony of the Chinese version of the report by WHO macro-economy and health committee entitled Invest in Health Sector and Promote Economic Development.