China to host International Congress on Obesity for first time in 2028

China will host the International Congress on Obesity for the first time in 2028, marking a further step in the country's engagement with the global health community.

Set to be held in Beijing, the event was confirmed during the opening of the 2026 Chinese Obesity Congress on Saturday. The meeting focused on building a systematic and standardized framework for obesity care that departs from single-metric approaches to weight management, Beijing News reported on Monday.

Ji Linong, executive chair of the congress and professor at Peking University People's Hospital, said the future of obesity treatment hinges on long-term health outcomes rather than short-term weight loss. "Metabolic improvement, comorbidity control, cardiovascular-kidney benefits, and patient adherence are equally critical," Ji added.

A centerpiece of the congress was the launch of the clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of obesity (2027 Edition). The congress said the new guidelines would incorporate the latest clinical evidence and real-world data to refine China's domestic treatment protocols.