Tackling cardiovascular disease in the Asia-Pacific region: China in action

The Asia-Pacific region bears a significant proportion of the global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with China standing out as a key focus.1 Unique lifestyle habits and an aging population have exacerbated this trend.2 In 2020, China had 330 million CVD patients and 4.6 million deaths caused by CVD.3 By 2020, the country reported 17.8 million stroke cases and 2.3 million stroke-related deaths.4 To address the growing threat of cardiovascular disease, China has implemented several innovative measures. China adopts a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach to address chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs, including CVD), formulating the first national NCD prevention and control work plan.5 The National Health Commission has successively launched the “Healthy China 2030” and the “Million Disability Reduction” Planning.6,7 These policies emphasize multi-sectoral collaboration, prioritize prevention, and extend the “prevention-first” principle to the CVD domain, focusing on “best investment” interventions such as smoking control, salt reduction, and the National Fitness Plan.2,6 By 2020, 488 national chronic disease comprehensive prevention and control demonstration zones were established, covering 17.1% of the country’s counties and districts.3 Through the reform of the health care system, China emphasizes community-level interventions, prioritizes primary health care, and promotes lifelong services. The Basic Public Health Service (BPHS) project, implemented since 2009, provides free services, including the management of hypertension and diabetes, covering over 74.5% of patients with hypertension and 73.6% of patients with diabetes mellitus and significantly improving control rates.3,8 Initiated in 2009, the national basic drug list ensures a safe, affordable drug supply.9 Efforts to control environmental pollution and improve conditions have been progressively strengthened. Starting in 2013, an action plan was implemented with the goal of reducing inhalable particulate matter by more than 10%, and by 2015, PM2.5 monitoring was established in 338 cities.2 The implementation of the new Environmental Protection Law in 2015, along with the key watershed water pollution prevention plan, has improved surface water quality (the surface water with very poor quality dropped from 15.6% in 2010 to 8.8% in 2015) to reduce CVD-related risks.2 China has implemented measures to address CVD in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing primarily on domestic prevention and control strategies while also contributing to regional efforts through collaboration. The effective implementation of these measures has set an exemplary model for CVD prevention and control across the Asia-Pacific region. Conflict of Interest The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, relating to the content of this article.