China-ASEAN TCM exchange conference held in Taiyuan, Shanxi
The 2024 China-ASEAN Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Industry Exchange and Promotion Conference was held in Taiyuan, capital city of Shanxi province, on Friday.
As an important event under the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-people Exchanges, the conference was themed on "Inheritance and Development, Harmony and Coexistence."
The event drew over 300 participants including government officials, senior diplomats, and representatives from business chambers, TCM regulators, healthcare institutes, universities, and enterprises from both China and ASEAN countries. The participants discussed innovative development of the TCM industry and cooperation between China and ASEAN in this field.
Phinij Jarusombat, former deputy prime minister of Thailand and president of Thai-Chinese Cultural Relationship Council, delivers a speech via video link at a conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on July 26, 2024. [Photo/CICG]
Phinij Jarusombat, former deputy prime minister of Thailand and president of Thai-Chinese Cultural Relationship Council, delivered a speech via video link. He highlighted the conference's role in promoting exchanges of TCM, traditional Thai medicine, and traditional medicine from other ASEAN countries. He said such exchanges will advance research and strengthen ASEAN-China cooperation in traditional medicine.
Malaysian Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni delivers a speech via video link at a conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on July 26, 2024. [Photo/CICG]
Malaysian Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni highlighted the long history of TCM exchanges between Malaysia and China and the broad public support for TCM in Malaysia. He expressed optimism about the potential for cooperation between Malaysia and Shanxi province in TCM industry development, joint research, and improving the efficiency of TCM medicinal materials production.
Zhao Hongyan, vice governor of Shanxi province, delivers a speech at a conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on July 26, 2024. [Photo/CICG]
Zhao Hongyan, vice governor of Shanxi province, spoke on Shanxi's pivotal role in Chinese medicinal materials, its historical significance as a birthplace of TCM culture, and its leading position in TCM inheritance and innovation. She said she hopes China and ASEAN can engage in more cultural exchanges, strengthen mutual understanding, and achieve win-win outcome through industrial cooperation.
Liu Dawei, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG), delivers a speech at a conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on July 26, 2024. [Photo/CICG]
Liu Dawei, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG), said the conference was crucial for deepening China-ASEAN business and trade relations and fostering pragmatic cooperation across various fields. He called for enhanced information sharing, mutually beneficial cooperation, and increased cultural communication.
"The Blue Book on the Development of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry in ASEAN (2024)" is released at a conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on July 26, 2024. [Photo/CICG]
An alliance for high-quality TCM development is launched in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on July 26, 2024. [Photo/CICG]
At the conference, "The Blue Book on the Development of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry in ASEAN (2024)" was released, which combs through the history and current status of the TCM industry in ASEAN countries and offers assessment on the industry's development trends.
Additionally, an alliance for high-quality TCM development was launched, involving six central China provinces: Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan. The Health Commission of Shanxi Province signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the CICG Center for Asia and Pacific.
The conference was guided by CICG and co-organized by the Health Commission of Shanxi Province and CICG Center for Asia and Pacific.