BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- A local hospital in Haikou, capital city of south China's island province of Hainan, has launched the country's first tropical diseases branch, according to Monday's China Daily.

The branch with Haikou-based Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University is expected to develop into a medical base for exchanges and cooperation with countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, the newspaper quoted the hospital's president Wang Yi as saying.

With about 40 percent of the world's population living in tropical and subtropical regions, integrated scientific research and treatment of tropical diseases are crucial, Wang said.