CIIC: We know you have grandsons and granddaughters. Do you often exercise with them?

LEAVITT: I have at present four grandchildren and very soon I’ll have five. They are very young, they don’t exercise with me but I do get exercise following them around.

CIIC: We know that you and your Chinese counterpart, our Health Minister Chen Zhu, are good friends and he is a young official who was born in the 1960s; could you please appraise this young and promising minister?

LEAVITT: The Chinese government has many very impressive, well educated government officials and it’s clear to me that your government is reaching out to find those who are the most competent in their field. The minister is one very good example of that, and we do have a very good friendship and a working relationship that I value.

CIIC: Our netizens know that you used to be the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency and they would like to know if there are any correlations between your past and present jobs?

LEAVITT: Both the EPA and the Department of Health are public health oriented. Some of the most important public health breakthroughs in the US have been the cleaning of the air and the improvement of our water. Many diseases are water borne diseases and having clean water can keep the population safe and healthy and can save many lives. The more we learn about health coming from respiratory health the more we understand that clean air is necessary for a person to be healthy and live a long time. So I feel that both jobs have been very much alike.