From May 26 to 28, 2026, the 20th Russian Radiology Annual Conference (2026 Moscow Radiology Congress) was grandly held in Moscow. This event coincided with the China-Russia Exchange Year and, building on the favorable opportunity of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic cooperation, this transnational academic exchange carried special and far-reaching significance. As a landmark top-tier event in the Russian radiology community, the conference drew widespread attention from all sectors, and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a special congratulatory message with warm wishes. This blessing from the head of state fully reflected the high standard and industry influence of this annual conference, underscored Russia’s high regard for the development of radiology and international medical cooperation, and made this conference an important platform for connecting the radiology communities of China and Russia—and indeed the world—and driving transnational collaborative development.
At the invitation of Academician Sergey Ternovoy, Academician Natalya Serova, and the conference organizers, Professor Li Hongjun, Vice President of the Hong Kong Academy of Technology and affiliated with Beijing You’an Hospital, Capital Medical University, served as Co-Chair of this conference. For this visit, Professor Li Hongjun led the formation of a Chinese delegation comprising 11 experts in total, with team members from multiple leading medical institutions across China, including Beijing You’an Hospital, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center affiliated with Fudan University, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital affiliated with Tongji University, Tongji Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, The People’s Hospital of Liaoning Province, and China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing.
During the conference opening, Professor Li Hongjun, in his capacity as Co-Chair of the conference, extended warm congratulations and sincere wishes to the conference on behalf of the Chinese Society of Radiology of the Chinese Medical Association. In his address, he noted that China and Russia are connected by mountains and rivers, and that exchanges in the medical and health field have a long history. Building on the China-Russia Exchange Year and the deep foundation of strategic cooperation, the radiology communities of both countries have maintained close academic interaction. He specifically conveyed the friendly greetings of Professor Chen Min, Chairman of the Chinese Society of Radiology of the Chinese Medical Association and affiliated with Beijing Hospital. Professor Chen Min has devoted many years to the clinical practice, scientific research, and teaching of radiological imaging, with outstanding achievements in abdominopelvic imaging diagnosis and whole-body magnetic resonance technology applications. Her election as Chairman of the Society is a high recognition by the domestic radiology community of her professional competence and outstanding contributions. Professor Chen Min specifically entrusted Professor Li Hongjun to convey the sincere respect and friendly sentiments of China’s radiology community to Russian counterparts. Professor Li Hongjun also recalled his visit to I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University in October 2025 to participate in the celebration of the 90th anniversary of its Department of Radiodiagnosis, highly commending the rigorous scholarship and frontier-oriented research spirit of Russian experts. He stated that Professor Chen Min looks forward to continued deepening of industry-academia-research collaboration between China and Russia in areas such as imaging of major infectious diseases and AI-assisted diagnosis, and that China’s radiology community will actively respond to the Belt and Road Initiative, working hand in hand with the Russian side to build a “Health Silk Road” and support the coordinated development of both countries’ health undertakings. During the plenary session, Professor Li Hongjun delivered a keynote report titled “Radiology of Major Infectious Diseases: Striving to Promote the Internationalization of China’s Practice.” The report systematically reviewed China’s clinical practice achievements, frontier research progress, and innovative application experience in the radiology of major infectious diseases, effectively advancing the international dissemination of China’s infectious disease imaging diagnosis and treatment system and practical experience, and received high recognition and widespread acclaim from international experts and scholars present.
During the conference, the Chinese delegation had the honor of a cordial meeting with Minister Counselor Zhou Yu of the Chinese Embassy in Russia. Minister Counselor Zhou Yu expressed appreciation and commendation for Professor Li Hongjun and his delegation’s visit to Russia for academic exchange. He pointed out that medical cooperation is an important component of China-Russia people-to-people and cultural exchanges and livelihood cooperation. Under the framework of the China-Russia Exchange Year, regular interaction between the medical communities of the two countries can further consolidate the popular foundation of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. He encouraged all participating experts to seize the exchange opportunities, learn from each other, and use radiology cooperation as a lever to continuously broaden and deepen the scope of medical cooperation between the two countries. This meeting greatly inspired all members of the delegation and provided strong support for this academic exchange activity.
Appointed Honorary Professor by a Russian University; On-site Visits Cement the Foundation for Cooperation
On May 25, the Chinese delegation arrived in Moscow in advance to begin a series of academic exchanges. This visit achieved significant academic outcomes, with Professor Li Hongjun being appointed as a Professor of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, and the official appointment documents being formally signed on site by both parties. This appointment represents a landmark achievement in the deep integration of China-Russia radiology disciplines, joint talent development, and academic connectivity, establishing a long-term cooperation platform for sustained academic exchange, joint research, and talent cultivation between the two institutions. Following the appointment ceremony, the team conducted on-site visits to the university’s radiology outpatient building, wards, and imaging diagnosis and treatment center, systematically investigating Russia’s clinical diagnostic and treatment processes, discipline development systems, patient management models, and talent cultivation mechanisms in radiology. The core teams of both sides engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanges on core topics such as infectious disease imaging diagnosis, multimodal imaging technology innovation, and frontier research endeavors, continuing and consolidating the long-standing friendly cooperation between the two sides and laying a solid foundation for future regular collaboration.
This conference featured a dedicated Russian-Chinese Radiology Forum. Through joint deliberation by experts from both countries, the forum was formally established as a regular, long-term academic exchange platform for the radiology communities of the two countries, providing a fixed channel for continued dialogue, resource sharing, and technology exchange. Professor Li Hongjun served as Co-Chair of the forum, co-hosting the thematic academic exchange sessions with Ju Ronghui from The People’s Hospital of Liaoning Province, Luo Jiawen from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Wu Li from The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, and Zhao Haiyan and Liu Weiyi from Beijing You’an Hospital. Among the delegation, five authoritative experts from different top-tier hospitals in China delivered academic presentations at the forum’s special sessions: Shi Yuxin from Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center affiliated with Fudan University, Mu Dan from Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital affiliated with Tongji University, Xia Shuang from Tianjin First Central Hospital, Zhu Wenzhen from Tongji Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Ma Guolin from China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing. The forum focused on international frontier research directions including AI imaging, cardiovascular imaging, neuroimaging, and abdominal imaging. Experts from both China and Russia gathered for in-depth discussions, fully exchanging clinical experience, technological achievements, and research breakthroughs in their respective fields, actively engaging on hot topics and challenging issues in the industry, and converging academic consensus and broadening research horizons through the collision of ideas.
This Moscow academic trip saw the Chinese delegation, composed of 11 top multidisciplinary experts from across China, successfully complete all scheduled academic exchange tasks. The delegation members appeared in full on the international high-end academic stage, collectively showcasing China’s mature clinical systems and frontier research capabilities in areas such as radiology of major infectious diseases, intelligent imaging-assisted diagnosis, and multimodal imaging technology applications. This visit integrated honorary appointments, diplomatic meetings, institutional visits, academic presentations, and forum co-building, comprehensively deepening mutual trust and cooperation between the radiology communities of China and Russia.
Looking ahead, under the leadership of Professor Chen Min, the Hong Kong Academy of Technology and the Chinese Society of Radiology of the Chinese Medical Association will leverage the regular Russian-Chinese Radiology Forum to continuously promote deep-level, diversified collaboration and exchange in the radiology field between the two countries. Professor Li Hongjun also sincerely invited Russian experts to visit China and participate in national radiology academic conferences to be held in Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities this year, to jointly explore frontier technologies and share academic achievements. Both sides will take this conference as a new starting point, deepen strategic cooperation in the medical imaging field, serve the overall framework of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era, continue to support the development of the “Health Silk Road,” jointly drive the high-quality development of the global radiology profession, and ensure that the transnational medical friendship between China and Russia is passed down from generation to generation and endures through sustained effort.
Finally, may the friendship between the radiology communities of China and Russia last forever!