Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, which has a history of collaboration with medical schools in France dating back to a century ago, will further expand the depth and breadth of cooperation with the French side in the field of medical education and beyond, said the dean of the school.

The school, where the country's first French class in clinical medicine was set up after China and France officially established diplomatic relations six decades ago, will make efforts to achieve such goals by making full use of its own disciplinary advantages and international influence, said Dean Fan Xianqun, who is also vice-president of SJTU.

"We'll promote in-depth integration of the two nations in the field of medical education, jointly exploring new models of medical talent training, and cultivating more interdisciplinary medical talent who are internationally competitive and excellent in cross-cultural communication skills," said Fan, who is also an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, during the International Symposium on Sino-French Cooperation in Medical Health concluded in Shanghai on Sunday.

The two-day symposium organized by SJTU School of Medicine and Xinmin Evening News and supported by French pharmaceutical company Ipsen was intended to promote the common development of China and France in the medical field through in-depth exchanges and discussions.

Shen Baiyong, executive director of the Sino-French Joint Medical College of SJTU School of Medicine, said that it will initiate high-end nursing French classes in 2025, aiming to cultivate management talent in nursing.

"What's also notable was that the college used to lay a focus on training clinical doctors, which has been shifted to paying equal attention to clinical practice and scientific research over the past decade. We aim to cultivate not only doctors but scientists with an international perspective," Shen, who is also vice-president of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital Affiliated with SJTU School of Medicine.

The French class in clinical medicine has trained nearly 1,000 outstanding medical students over the past six decades. By the end of last year, nearly 500 Chinese students from the class had been sent to France for studies. Also, the French side selects more than 30 medical students to receive clinical training at SJTU School of Medicine each year.

Marc Delpech, vice-director of the Sino-French college from the French side, said that the college provides an excellent opportunity for promoting innovations in medical science and technology.

"The best students from all over the country are admitted here. These passionate and academically outstanding youngsters are the backbone of future innovation and breakthroughs," said Delpech.

He urged more collaborations and exchanges to be carried out between scientific researchers from the two countries.

Sub-forums focusing on medical education innovation, hospital management and patient service, and interactive development of the pharmaceutical industry by combining the industrial, academic and research sectors were held during the symposium on the weekend.