China’s evolving strategy targets antimicrobial resistance with prevention and policy shifts
China advances its fight against antimicrobial resistance with a new focus on prevention, tighter regulation, and strategic use of healthcare reimbursement, as WHO highlights progress and ongoing challenges.
China’s approach to antimicrobial resistance is increasingly defined by tighter stewardship, wider surveillance and a more explicit link between public health and financing. The World Health Organization says the country’s first One Health action plan, running from 2016 to 2020, brought together 14 ministries and helped drive down inpatient antibiotic use from 59.4% in 2011 to 36% in 2019.
The next phase, the 2022-2025 plan, shifts from broad containment to prevention first. According to WHO, it aims to cut infection rates before treatment is needed, lift public awareness of rational antibiotic use to 80%, and require all antibiotic sales to be prescription-based.
Surveillance suggests the pressure is easing in some areas, though the burden remains uneven. Data from China’s BRICS network show carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has levelled off at about 60%, while carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae has fallen from 20% to 15%. Yet resistance remains higher in major provincial hospitals than in lower-tier facilities, reflecting more complex patients and heavier use of invasive procedures.
China is also using its healthcare and reimbursement systems as policy tools. With coverage for more than 95% of its population, the insurance system can support both access and control. The article says a new reimbursement category for innovative, high-cost medicines is intended to encourage development of next-generation antimicrobials and diagnostics.
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