ABSTRACT
Objective To summarize the main research objects, methods and content of research on China's health development assistance, and to provide reference for expanding research directions in this field. Methods Databases including CMKI, Wanfang and VIP were searched in accordance with the determined search strategy to acquire Chinese literatures on development assistance for health. Content analysis was conducted and software NVivo 11 was used to code the contents. CiteSpace 6.2.R2 was used to conduct keyword co-occurrence analysis. Results A total of 180 articles were included, and the number of published articles increased over time. Events including the 50th anniversary of Chinese medical team dispatchment, the launch of Silk Road of Health Cooperation Initiative, and the outburst of COVID-19 pandemic marked a robust growth in the number of articles in this field. The main study objects were countries providing bilateral development assistance for health, especially China. The main study method was a qualitative research method based on literature and policy analysis. The main research contents included the ways and key areas of health development assistance, as well as suggestions for the future development of China's health development assistance. After the launch of Silk Road of Health Cooperation Initiative, the health development assistance had received further attention as an important approach and function of global health governance. Conclusion The existing research on development assistance for health is overly focused and redundant. In the future, more attention should be paid to other participants involved in the health development assistance and the situation of recipient countries. Empirical research methods should be used to conduct more in-depth research on issues such as project implementation and effectiveness of development assistance for health.