China's vast population and rapid social change make it a "living laboratory" for health research, offering valuable insights into the drivers of non-communicable diseases, environmental exposures, and demographic shifts. The Collection also highlights the growing use of artificial intelligence and digital data, warning that rapid research expansion brings new risks, from fragmented data systems to pressures prioritising quantity over quality.
The Collection authors call for stronger international collaboration to ensure China's research potential translates into tangible health benefits worldwide. This includes harmonising study design, improving data governance and sharing, and building sustainable funding models to protect the long-term value of cohort data.
"China's scale makes it a living laboratory for global health, but scale alone isn't enough. To deliver real impact, research must be rigorous, transparent, and internationally connected."
Dr Jocalyn Clark
The BMJ's International Editor and editorial lead for this special collection
The Collection features six analysis articles and an editorial co-authored by experts from The BMJ, Tsinghua University, and the University of Bristol. Together, they chart the evolution of cohort studies in China, from early occupational cohorts to today's large-scale initiatives, and set out recommendations for the next phase of collaboration and quality assurance.
Main articles in the BMJ Collection on China's Cohort Studies
Editorial
Enhancing cohort studies in China and international collaboration
A new BMJ Collection examines how well designed, large scale research can benefit global health, but that international collaboration is key to unlocking China's full potential
Analysis
Landscape analysis of large scale cohort development in China
Zhibin Hu and colleagues advocate for multi-stakeholder collaboration to promote the sustainable development of large scale cohorts in China
International collaboration in cohort studies in China: opportunities and challenges
Zhengming Chen and colleagues outline the key value, opportunities, and challenges of international collaboration in cohort studies in China
Dongfeng Gu and colleagues review community based cohort studies in China, finding strategies to improve the quality and scale of these studies in China and beyond
Breadth versus depth: balancing variables, sample size, and quality in Chinese cohort studies
Weimin Li and colleagues explore the trade-offs and challenges posed by the increasing scale and complexity of cohort studies, highlighting the central argument that "bigger is not always better"
Building sustainable cohort studies in China: a hybrid model for public health research
Xiangmei Chen and colleagues consider the challenges of conducting cohort studies and how they can be overcome
Tien Yin Wong and colleagues explore how artificial intelligence can tackle persistent challenges in Chinese epidemiological studies and analyse the regulatory frameworks and barriers to implementation that must be overcome to ensure equitable, scientifically rigorous population health research
