To celebrate the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties, the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi cooperated with the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation to jointly unveil the Sanofi China Charity Grant on Thursday, as part of the company's efforts to further participate in the Chinese market and contribute to local people's livelihoods.

As one of the first French companies to enter China, Sanofi has continuously increased investment and promoted innovation in the health care sector over the past few decades. The company has been committed to making innovative medicine and medical services more accessible to Chinese people, said Wayne Shi, president of Sanofi Greater China.

Olivier Charmel, the company's executive vice-president, said Sanofi has benefited a lot from its long-term investment in China and will always stand as a reliable partner. The company expects to further contribute to the exchanges between China and France not only in the field of health care, but also in science, economy, and culture.

Shi said the company launched the Sanofi China Charity Grant with an aim to better meet the health needs in China, and its first project will specifically focus on diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents.

Ji Linong, director of Department of Endocrinology at Peking University People's Hospital, highly recognized the importance of the diabetes project at a panel discussion held after the launch ceremony. He said China currently ranks fourth in the world for the number of children and adolescents suffering from type 1 diabetes.

With the help of the charity grant, Ji said he expects China to establish a more complete health care system especially for type 1 diabetes. Doctors, professional equipment and nutritionists should be provided to help patients correctly inject insulin and effectively control blood sugar levels.

Ji also stressed further efforts to protect the mental health of the sick children and adolescents, especially of those who live in remote areas, so as to help them better integrate into campus.

In addition to diabetes, the Sanofi China Charity Grant will also be utilized to combat other diseases such as immunity diseases. It is expected to directly benefit over 10,000 people and indirectly benefit more than one million people in the next three years.

liuzizheng@chinadaily.com.cn