The United States and China can share more experience in medical and health service, said Mike Leavitt, Secretary of US Department of Health and Human Services, during his visit to southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Leavitt, who started his 10-day visit to China on Dec. 7 at the invitation of Chinese Ministry of Health, visited rural clinics, medical stations and hospitals in Sichuan during his three-day visit.

Sichuan health officials briefed him on local medical infrastructures and disease control.

In Tangjia township of Suining city, Leavitt visited an eight-year-old girl who recovered from the H5N1 strain of bird flu in May. He spoke highly of local hospitals' immediate response to and proper treatment of the disease.

Health cooperation between the two countries should start with people-to-people exchanges, he said.

During his meeting on Saturday with Jiang Jufeng, vice-governor of Sichuan, Leavitt said he hopes the United States can cooperate more with Sichuan as the province boasts great potential on pharmaceutical and chemical industry.

According to the Sichuan provincial department of health, the province has conducted a series of medical cooperation with the United States since 1993.

A MOU signed between Sichuan Province and the State of Utah this year has boosted large-scale cooperation on the research and development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), TCM treatment, and the TCM education and academic exchanges, the department said.

Leavitt left Sichuan for Guangdong Province Sunday afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2006)