China-ASEAN conference boosts traditional medicine industry prospects

Representatives from ASEAN countries expressed optimism for the development prospects of traditional Chinese medicine at a recent conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi province.

The 2024 China-ASEAN Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Exchange and Promotion Conference kicked off on Friday. The event's theme is "Inheritance and Development · Harmony and Coexistence". It attracted over 300 participants, including ASEAN countries' ambassadors to China, representatives from international organizations, international chambers of commerce, and central and provincial TCM authorities, medical institutions, universities and relevant enterprises.

"Traditional Chinese medicine is very popular in Cambodia because it can treat a variety of diseases," Nhek Soparama, minister counselor of the Cambodian embassy in China, said at the conference. "Over the past two years, more than 20,000 Cambodians have received TCM treatment."

Shanxi is a major producer of traditional Chinese medicinal materials thanks to its natural geographical environment that nurtures a range of authentic medicinal resources.

Data shows that the province is home to 1,788 types of Chinese medicinal materials and has a cultivation area of over 373,333 hectares.

There are 194 processing enterprises in Shanxi, with medicinal materials totaling 660,000 metric tons, accounting for 11.61 percent of the national total.

Over a hundred traditional and high-quality Chinese medicinal products, such as Guilingji and Dengkundan, have been selected as "China Time-Honored Brands".

In 2023, the industrial output value of traditional Chinese medicine in Shanxi reached around 10 billion yuan ($13.78 billion).

"Shanxi is a core area for authentic Chinese medicinal resources, an important birthplace of traditional Chinese medicine culture, an integrated area for industrial development, and a new highland for inheritance and innovation," said Zhao Hongyan, vice-governor of Shanxi. "China and ASEAN have a broad foundation for cooperation in the field of traditional Chinese medicine."

"I hope we can strengthen mutual learning and exchange, enhance cooperation consensus, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results based on industrial cooperation," she said.

Phinij Jarusombat, former deputy prime minister of Thailand and chairman of the Thai-Chinese Cultural Promotion Association, gave a video address.

"The conference will promote traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Thai medicine, as well as communication and exchange about traditional medicines among various ASEAN countries, which will make important contributions to the development of traditional medicine cooperation between China and ASEAN."