China will
build 10 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) trading centers worldwide by 2015
to develop TCM services in Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North
America.
The State
Council Information Office held a news conference yesterday to discuss advice
given by 14 administrative departments on measures to develop the TCM industry.
Building trading centers was one of the eight key tasks announced at the news
conference.
According
to a written reply from the State Administration of Traditional Chinese
Medicine to China Daily, the government departments have not issued specific
plans for the construction of the 10 trading centers, but the administration is
already carrying out market research and seeking support to start a special
campaign for the centers.
Other key
tasks include fostering TCM talents, supporting scientific innovations and
developing a statistics system for TCM trade.
Currently,
China exports its TCM services, such as TCM training and medical treatments, to
160 countries and regions worldwide.
The
services are provided mainly through the following channels – foreign tourists
visiting China to gain TCM services, Chinese doctors providing remote service
through the Internet and Chinese TCM doctors going abroad to practice medicine
or to open clinics.
Statistics
show that the total trading volume of TCM services is nearly 2.5 billion yuan
(US$397 million), said Wang Guoqiang, director of the State Administration of
Traditional Chinese Medicine.
"The
whole health industry will see favorable development in the coming years, both
at home and abroad, and I believe TCM will have a large part to play,"
Wang said.
Wang also
said that TCM services are facing challenges in the international market.
"The
Chinese culture is so different from Western culture, so TCM still does not
have high approval in some Western countries.
"At
home, our understanding about international trading is not enough, and we do
not have globally recognized TCM brands," Wang said.
He said
funding for the industry should be boosted, and legal affairs and talents
improved.
"TCM
has a long history in China, and is an industry that China owns completely
independent intellectual property rights," said Qiu Hong, assistant
minister of commerce.
"As a
result, developing TCM trading will accelerate spreading the Chinese culture to
the world, enhance the TCM industry worldwide and benefit China's own TCM
industry," Qiu said.
So far,
several companies and institutions have presented successful overseas business
models, such as Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Tongrentang and the
chemical company Tasly Group, according to the State administration of TCM.
China has
36,000 institutes involved in TCM medical services, researching and training,
803,000 certificated TCM teachers and 15,000 people involved in new technology
research and development of TCM.
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