Innovation invigorates herbal drug industry across Beijing

As a national sci-tech innovation center, Beijing is giving full play to its strengths in technological research and integrating modern technologies into the preservation and promotion of traditional Chinese medicine.

A recent move was a collaboration between the city's Pinggu district and the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. The two parties joined hands to establish a TCM preservation, innovation and development demonstration zone, with the project launched at the end of November.

By developing the demonstration zone, the district government plans to build Pinggu into an innovative development hub for TCM in two to three years. To this end, the project will focus on quality improvement, industry invigoration, technological innovation, cultural promotion and talent pool expansion to help create a more sound TCM medical service system, according to local officials.

Since the northeastern district and the academy signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement in August 2023, they have conducted in-depth collaborations on medical services, the pharmaceutical industry, research and education.

Currently, Pinggu has established five plantation bases for Chinese medicinal herbs, covering a total area of some 355 hectares and creating jobs for more than 600 people. The district plans to add 10 high-standard herbal plantation demonstration bases in the future, increasing its herbal plantation area to nearly 667 hectares, according to its development blueprint.

The district's goal is to become a high-quality herbal base characterized by a large planting scale, superior varieties and high quality in the next two to three years. Professional guidance from a national key laboratory will focus on the quality assurance of authentic herbs and the sustainable utilization of resources.

Fengtai district in southwestern Beijing is also focusing on the TCM industry. According to Liu Wanying, an official from the district government's team dedicated to serving the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industry, Fengtai is set to expand its healthcare industry centered on TCM to at least 100 billion yuan ($13.75 billion) in industrial output value in the next five years.

As synergies between local industrial parks, enterprises, universities and research institutes grow, TCM businesses in the district will continue to hone their competitive edge, and the support system for the development of the industry will become healthier and more robust, Liu said.

Building on its rich TCM resources, Fengtai will ramp up the construction of a national comprehensive reform demonstration zone for TCM, going all out to build itself into a strong district for the sustainable development of the industry, said Wang Shaofeng, secretary of the district committee of the Communist Party of China.

Fengtai is exploring a new path for the integration of the TCM industry with other sectors, focusing on innovative drugs and medical devices, industrial clusters, wellness tourism, healthy cuisine, medical cosmetology, and culture and education.

This integration is driving the growth of a wide range of related sectors, such as herbs planting and processing, brand building, commerce and logistics, technological research, preservation and innovation, wellness tourism and dietary health, local officials said.

Chaoyang district, as a key part of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening Up the Services Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone, has created an all-around, diverse opening-up pattern.

The district is the only national demonstration pilot site for TCM inheritance and innovative development in Beijing, which has conducted in-depth exploration and practice on this front. Part of these efforts is the development of the Beijing Digital and Smart TCM Valley, which covers an area of approximately 20,000 square meters. Jointly launched by the district and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, the innovation area is designed to assist the commercialization and industrialization of TCM research results and boost the improvement of the TCM service system.

Beijing Vice-Mayor Jin Wei said during the 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine on Tuesday that the host city is putting equal emphasis on the development of both modern medicine and TCM, capitalizing on the unique strength and role of TCM to comprehensively protect public health.