WASHINGTON - An agreement on launching a medical training program in China was signed in Washington Tuesday between China's Ministry of Science and Technology and American Heart Association in order to further boost treatment and awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in both countries.

Under the agreement, the two sides will promote cooperation in three areas: CPR training and awareness initiatives, physician exchanges, and cardiopulmonary science engagement opportunities.

At the signing ceremony, which was held on the sidelines of the sixth China-US High-Level Consultations on the People-to-people Exchange (CPE), Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong said China and US are both facing the threat of cardiovascular disease, which kills more than 17 million people annually in the world.

Bilateral cooperation in research, popularizing preventive measures and informing public of emergency response to a cardiac arrest are therefore crucial to the two peoples, said Liu, co-chair of CPE talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

According to Liu, cooperation on health and science and technology has become an important part of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. The two should further such cooperation, she added.

Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, said: "We are so honored to sign this new cooperative agreement with the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Science and Technology, which represents a momentous step for global health."

Welcoming Liu's visit, American Heart Association International Committee Chairman Douglas Boyle said the initiative could save millions of lives in China.

"The vast majority of cardiovascular incidents occur in public and in people's homes. So if you've got a broad population trained on how to handle an event like that, how to keep someone alive, it could have a real impact on mortality in China," Boyle said.