Injury control is an important health issue in China, but has been less well explored than in other countries. To encourage health policy makers to give greater attention to injury control, this report highlights the great damage caused by injuries and the neglected status of injury control in China. China's situation and the experiences and lessons from industrialized countries, especially the USA, are summarized. Finally, two opportunities to improve injury control in China are identified: establishment of a mechanism for multi-department coordination and collaboration; and improvement of injury data surveillance.