In a report (.pdf) released on Tuesday, the World Bank urged China to step up its efforts to fight non-communicable diseases (NCDs), “the main cause of death in the country, warning of rising health expenditure and an economic slowdown if rapid action is not taken,” Reuters reports.

“The World Bank report said China’s ‘healthcare system is not responding effectively’ to tackle non-communicable diseases, which is why the country’s deaths from those diseases are higher than other leading G20 countries,” the news agency writes (Wee, 7/26). According to a World Bank press release, the “four leading NCDs in China are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPDs)” (7/26).