China hailed for crucial role in developing traditional medicine

More than 3,500 delegates highlight TCM as key tool in promoting wellness around world

Officials and health experts from around the world emphasized the significance of traditional medicine for global health and commended China's achievements in this field at the 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine, held in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday.

With the theme "Diversity, Inheritance, Innovation: Traditional Medicine for All", the conference drew more than 3,500 government officials and health professionals from 85 countries and regions, including more than 800 international attendees.

Co-hosted by China and the World Health Organization, the conference featured a plenary session, a government forum and nine parallel forums. Discussions focused on topics such as the quality and safety of herbal medicine, traditional medicine standardization, and the integration of advanced technologies and data-driven approaches in traditional medicine.

Marcus Samo, secretary of Micronesia's Department of Health and Social Affairs, said during the conference that traditional medicine not only serves as a treatment method but embodies the ancestral wisdom and cultural identity of a people, as reported by China News Service.

Saia Ma'u Piukala, the World Health Organization's regional director for the Western Pacific, said traditional medicine has contributed significantly to global health, being widely utilized in many countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

Peggy Vidot, the health minister of Seychelles, said traditional medicine's accessibility and cost-effectiveness have made it an important treatment method in her country. Seychelles has been integrating traditional medicine with modern healthcare practices by establishing industry standards and training professionals, Vidot added.

Participants lauded China's achievements and leadership in traditional medicine, expressing their readiness to enhance healthcare cooperation with the country.

Bruce Aylward, assistant director-general of the WHO, told China Central Television that China has been at the forefront of traditional medicine and that its experiences in developing traditional Chinese medicine are worth promoting.

Aylward said traditional medicine is a crucial area for the WHO as it contributes to achieving universal health coverage. One of the WHO's global strategic objectives is to integrate traditional and modern medicine, an area where China has demonstrated absolute leadership, he noted.

Sultangaziyev Timur Slamzhanovich, Kazakhstan's first deputy minister of healthcare, said his country's historical exchanges with other countries along the Silk Road have fostered numerous traditional treatment methods. Today, the Belt and Road Initiative enables Kazakhstan and its partners such as China to deepen medical cooperation and drive innovation in traditional medicine.

According to the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China has signed TCM cooperation agreements with more than 40 foreign authorities and international organizations, and has established 30 TCM centers in countries and regions participating in the BRI.

Chinese delegates at the conference said they stand ready to collaborate closely with stakeholders in the healthcare sector and share TCM knowledge and experiences from advancing the Healthy China Initiative.

At the closing ceremony of the conference, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine announced that China plans to provide TCM training for more than 1,300 individuals from abroad over the next three years.

The conference also witnessed the release of the Beijing Declaration, which highlights the need to give full play to traditional medicine in achieving universal health coverage and the importance of political commitment and policy support for the safe, efficient integration of traditional medicine into healthcare systems.

The Beijing International Traditional Medicine Exhibition was held during the conference to showcase the development and innovative applications of traditional medicine.

huyuyan@chinadaily.com.cn