BEIJING - China and Arab countries should cooperate more in disease prevention and control, traditional medicine, medical education and vaccine production, said a joint statement on Tuesday.

Issued after a China-Arab senior health officials' conference held on Tuesday in Beijing, the statement also said both sides agreed to hold such a conference every two years, with the next one scheduled for 2015.

Tuesday's conference was attended by representatives from health authorities of 21 member states of the League of Arab States and Chinese health agencies.

It was held as part of concrete moves to put into practice a memorandum of understanding signed by both sides during the fifth China-Arab Cooperation Forum in 2012, according to officials.