Chinese government to play more active role in promoting traditional Chinese medicine

The Chinese government is to take an increasingly active role in promoting the production and export of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a TCM Science Conference held in Beijing has heard.

According to China's cabinet, the State Council, Wang Guoqiang, Head of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, called for strategic studies to generate short- and long-term targets for developing TCM. He also called for TCM specialists and companies to create new production equipment and medicines.

He added that the Chinese government was 'working on plans to further improve the exportation of both TCM products and services.'

Wang claimed that China’s TCM exports already earned US$3.13bn export receipts in 2013. Noting that China has more than 200 million people aged above 60, he said TCM could help healthcare budgets.

'As TCM has advantage in prevention and health care and is relatively cheaper than Western medicine, TCM will help solve difficulties for common people to get medical treatment,' he said. 'It would increasingly complement Western medicine.'

The State Council also highlighted comments from Zhang Boli, Principal of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, that China’s 2013 TCM output value exceeded CNY560bn ($91.4bn).

Wu Yiling, of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, called for reforms to government pricing policies for TCM, and for the government to continue backing TCM. The State Council proposed draft TCM laws in July this year, which would create a comprehensive TCM medical service in urban and rural areas, encouraging private capital to help build the system.