Belt and Road will help shape healthier world

As I travel this week to meet China's State leaders in Beijing, I'll fly over a number of countries where China is dramatically changing economic landscapes. With its Belt and Road Initiative, China is promoting global economic integration by building infrastructure and broadening trade with countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia and about five dozen other countries on multiple continents.

Pakistan, for example, is gaining new railways, power plants and highways courtesy of $60 billion of Chinese funding and infrastructure expertise. But the partnership also extends to health. Last year, China and Pakistan launched a new emergency medical center in the southern port city of Gwadar, aiming to expand healthcare to those in need.

China's aim in Pakistan is to improve health conditions in an area where access to healthcare and basic sanitation are needed to prevent future disease outbreaks. The World Health Organization commits millions of dollars to projects in Pakistan each year, focusing on the expansion of polio vaccines and responding to outbreaks of diseases such as dengue and hepatitis. Yet, as China recognizes, there is more to be done.