The 7th Asia Pacific Conference on Evidence-Based Medicine brought together EBM experts, leaders, and junior researchers to discuss and promote EBM in China on August 3-4, 2012 at the First Teaching Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi. Evidence-based medicine aims to apply the best available evidence generated from the strongest scientific methods to clinical decision making. EBM advocates that doctors should make decisions based on three factors: their own clinical experience, a review of the best available evidence, and discussion with the patient about his or her treatment preferences. “Evidence” must be quantitative; the “gold standard” of EBM is the randomized control trial, which, when aggregated as a meta-analysis such as those undertaken by the Cochrane Collaboration improve clinical decision-making. The evidence-based decision-making process can also be applied beyond individual clinical decision-making to the field of health policymaking. Evidence-based policy has become a major part of the government’s approach to policy making.

The 7th Asia Pacific Conference on Evidence-Based Medicine brought together EBM experts, leaders, and junior researchers to discuss and promote EBM in China on August 3-4, 2012 at the First Teaching Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi. The theme of the conference was “EBM: discipline, platform, cooperation, change, results.” The meeting was sponsored by the Virtual EBM Center of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health EBM Center, and the Chinese Cochrane Center. The Conference featured lectures by experts including Professor Li Youping (李幼平) , a pioneer and leader in EBM in China and current Director of Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Center of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education’s EBM Online Cooperation Research Center; Jeremy Grimshaw of the Canadian branch of the Cochrane Collaboration; Wang Yu （王羽）, Director of the Department of Medical Administration of the Ministry of Health; Liu Deng Feng（刘登峰）, Vice Director of the Science and Education Division of the Ministry of Health; and Li Yu（李昱）, Vice Director of the Department of Science and Technology of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The conference also provided a platform for researchers in EBM to share their research and receive feedback and mentorship from senior scholars. The Conference featured eight breakout sessions on topics ranging from EBM Research and Methods to EBM Health Policy Research and Practice. EBM in the field of Chinese Medicine was also a featured discussion topic.

CMB began supporting EBM in China in 1997, when CMB provided support to Li Youping（李幼平） and the Evidence-Based Medicine Center. It has continued to support developments in EBM, including the construction of the China EBM Network, EBM for Western Health, and EBM Database Development. Thus far, CMB is the largest donor for the ChiCC/Evidence Based Medicine Center. Further information on the Center can be found at http://www.ebm.org.cn/.