BEIJING, March 19, 2026 — China and France are strengthening their collaborative efforts to address the growing global challenge of aging populations. A recent high-level seminar, hosted in Shenzhen, China, brought together over 90 experts and researchers from both countries to advance research into healthy aging.
The seminar, co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), the Chinese Geriatric Society, the French Embassy in China and the Chinese Embassy in France, focused on “Promoting mutual enrichment between basic aging research and clinical applications.” This event builds upon a letter of intent signed in 2025 between CAS and INSERM during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China, signaling a commitment to joint research initiatives.
According to He Hongping, Vice President of the CAS, China and France possess complementary strengths in healthy aging research. “The creation of this interdisciplinary research network will offer an expanded platform for scientists from both countries, helping them to jointly address the major scientific and technological challenges of the aging process,” he said.
Didier Samuel, President of INSERM, noted that the collaboration will strengthen the synergies between the two nations in this critical field and contribute to building a sustainable model for Franco-Chinese cooperation on healthy aging. This partnership is particularly important as populations worldwide are living longer, increasing the demand for innovative approaches to age-related health concerns.
During the seminar, Chinese and French experts engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including brain health and cognitive frailty, aging and cancer, and multidimensional measurement of aging. These discussions fostered broad consensus and laid a solid foundation for future interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and interinstitutional research collaboration between the two countries in the field of healthy aging.
