UNITED NATIONS - Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu said here on Monday that China would be committed to finding a way of preventing and treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with Chinese characteristics, sharing experiences with the international community and making due contribution.

Chen made the remarks when speaking at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on the NCDs. He said NCDs have become the No 1 threat to the health of the Chinese people with over 260 million patients. It's crucial to strengthen NCDs prevention and treatment now.

"The Chinese government pursues a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable scientific development concept, with a people- oriented approach at its core," said Chen, adding that China's national master plan for the next five years has made it an indicator for the average life expectancy to grow by one year.

The UN General Assembly, the principal UN body which represents all 193 member states, on Monday opened an unprecedented high-level meeting on NCDs to draw global attention to the diseases and come up with a plan of action to address the issue.  

Hong Kong representative Zhou Yiyue, also head of Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau, attended the meeting as a member of the Chinese delegation.

The Chinese health minister noted that the effective prevention and treatment of NCDs is one of the key measures. The core of the ongoing health care reform in China is to achieve universal health coverage for the 1.3 billion people.

"The government strives to increase investment in health undertaking, focusing on public health and basic medical services, and adjusts the ways of health resources allocation to promote combination of disease prevention and treatment," said the minister.