Health & Beauty

The launching ceremony of the 2022 China International Trade in Services Fair Traditional Chinese Medicine Theme Day and the 7th Overseas Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Conference were held in Beijing a few days ago. It is reported that Chinese medicine is a national health industry with full independent intellectual property rights and huge original innovation potential. The Chinese government has actively promoted the high-quality development of trade in traditional Chinese medicine services. It has successively released two lists of national export bases for traditional Chinese medicine services, and the first batch of key regions for the first trial of trade in traditional Chinese medicine services have achieved results. With the continuous release of favorable policies, during the "Fourteenth Five Year Plan" period, trade in traditional Chinese medicine services will open up a wider space for development.

The advantages of trade in traditional Chinese medicine services are obvious

"With the development of modern information technology, the trend of service-oriented trade in goods and digitalized trade in services is obvious. Trade in services has become an important force to promote world economic growth. As an important part of China's characteristic trade in services, trade in traditional Chinese medicine has obvious comparative advantages." Zhu Guangyao, Deputy Director General of the Department of Trade in Services and Trade Services of the Ministry of Commerce, said at the meeting.

According to the data released by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, traditional Chinese medicine has established official contacts with 169 countries and regions. During the "13th Five Year Plan" period, the total export of traditional Chinese medicine products in international trade reached 26 billion US dollars.

Huang Luqi, deputy director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, president of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and academician of the CAE Member, pointed out that since the COVID-19 broke out, the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine and the combination of traditional and western medicine has become a highlight of China's plan for epidemic prevention and control, as well as a vivid practice of inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine. The recognition of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine by the World Health Organization and the successful experience in treating patients with COVID-19 in Cambodia have created conditions for the improvement of the international recognition of traditional Chinese medicine and the expansion of the international application of traditional Chinese medicine services and products.

In recent years, high-quality development of trade in TCM services has received a number of policy support. The Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Promoting the Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Implementation Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting the Innovative Development of Foreign Trade and other documents put forward specific requirements for vigorously developing trade in traditional Chinese medicine services, strengthening the construction of national bases for the export of traditional Chinese medicine services, and expanding the export of traditional Chinese medicine services.

Wu Zhendou, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, introduced that in order to encourage the first trial, give play to the demonstration effect, and drive the trade in traditional Chinese medicine services to become bigger and stronger, in 2019, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly selected the first batch of 17 national export bases for traditional Chinese medicine services.

In 2021, the seven departments jointly issued the Notice on Several Measures to Support the High Quality Development of the National TCM Service Export Base, proposing 18 specific policies and measures. In order to further support the trade in traditional Chinese medicine services, in February 2022, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly selected the second batch of 14 national export bases for traditional Chinese medicine services.

"Beijing, as one of the first batch of key regions for the first trial of Chinese medicine service trade in China, has gradually improved its policy guarantee system for opening up to the outside world." Zhou Ying, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Hygiene, introduced that Beijing's traditional Chinese medicine service industry has begun to take shape in a new format of opening up, and has successively launched five batches of 59 demonstration bases for traditional Chinese medicine cultural tourism. Guang'anmen Hospital, Xiyuan Hospital and Beijing Tongrentang Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine have been identified as national TCM service export bases, with the number of bases ranking first in the country.

New platforms, new business types and new opportunities

"Traditional Chinese medicine service trade is a national health industry with completely independent intellectual property rights and huge original innovation potential. Strengthening the organization, guidance, and standard support of traditional Chinese medicine service trade to make it bigger and stronger will play a positive role in promoting China's structural adjustment of service trade, building a Chinese service brand, and effectively driving employment and economic growth." Zhu Haidong, deputy director of the International Cooperation Department of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said.

The establishment of a large platform is an important part of boosting trade in TCM services. At the same day's meeting, the list of the second batch of national TCM service export bases was officially announced, and the SCO Traditional Medicine Industry Alliance was announced to be established.

"The two batches of 31 national TCM service export bases will further play an exemplary role in cultivating high-quality TCM service trade market players, new business types and new models, and promote high-quality development of TCM service trade." Huang Luqi thinks.

Meng Dongping, Vice President of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, said that the Alliance, as a non-governmental, non-profit and open international cooperation organization, will promote member countries to strengthen closer trade exchanges and cooperation in the field of traditional medicine. In particular, continuous investment will be strengthened to promote the convergence of laws and policies of all member countries on traditional medicine, the integration and docking of domestic and foreign markets, and the docking of trade and investment cooperation.

High level open platforms such as China International Trade Fair and China International Trade Fair will also create a good international environment for trade in TCM services. It is understood that in recent years, Beijing has successfully held the Service Trade Fair (Chinese medicine service sector) and the Overseas Chinese Chinese Medicine Conference every year, receiving more than 300000 people from nearly 110 countries and regions, with a contract amount of nearly 3 billion yuan.

During the service trade fair this year, the total area of the traditional Chinese medicine service exhibition area covering an area of 2000 square meters has doubled compared with last year. We will promote the "going out" of TCM services and attract international trade cooperation. "It is hoped that through this service trade fair, the high-level achievements in the development of traditional Chinese medicine can be fully demonstrated, the scientific and technological innovation of traditional Chinese medicine can be shared, so that Chinese medicine people at home and abroad can share our scientific and educational achievements, the trade platform of traditional Chinese medicine services will be wider, the cross-border integration and innovation products and service system will be more abundant, a new pattern of high-quality development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry will be built, and the modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine will be promoted in an all-round way. ”Zhou Ying said.

In addition, in Zhu Guangyao's view, with the rapid development of modern information technology, online application scenarios of traditional Chinese medicine are increasingly rich, and new business types and models such as remote consulting, diagnosis and treatment, teaching are developing rapidly, which greatly increases the tradability of traditional Chinese medicine services. Traditional Chinese medicine service trade is in the period of digital wave development opportunity.

Wider market space is expected

Both focus on the present and based on the long-term. A series of policy dividends need to be released continuously to open wider development space for trade in traditional Chinese medicine services.

In March this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the Fourteenth Five Year Plan for the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine, proposing to expand international trade in traditional Chinese medicine. We will vigorously develop trade in traditional Chinese medicine services and build a high-quality national export base for traditional Chinese medicine services. We will promote overseas localization of traditional Chinese medicine and promote industrial cooperation and international trade. Encourage the development of "Internet plus+TCM trade". Gradually improve the relevant measures of "going global" of TCM, carry out policy research on overseas markets of TCM, and help TCM enterprises "go global".

The Development Plan for Promoting the High Quality Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine into the Joint Construction of the the Belt and Road (2021-2025) issued at the beginning of this year proposed that during the "14th Five Year Plan" period, China will cooperate with the countries jointly constructing the "the Belt and Road" to build 30 overseas centers of high-quality traditional Chinese medicine.

Many places are also working hard. Recently, Shaanxi Provincial Department of Commerce and Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly held a symposium on "Going Abroad in a Group" of traditional Chinese medicine services, which is intended to expand the trade market of traditional Chinese medicine services in Shaanxi by building a platform, building alliances and promoting cooperation. It is reported that Shaanxi has built an exchange and cooperation platform for trade in traditional Chinese medicine services, jointly explored a new mode of trade in traditional Chinese medicine services under the "the Belt and Road Initiative", created a brand of traditional Chinese medicine services in Shaanxi, and comprehensively improved the influence, competitiveness and market share of international trade in traditional Chinese medicine in Shaanxi.

"In the future, we will actively promote the high-quality development of international service trade in traditional Chinese medicine. We will establish an international scientific and technological innovation mechanism and medical cooperation platform to provide high-quality traditional Chinese medicine service products. We will establish a talent sending and training mechanism to train international talents in traditional Chinese medicine service trade. The promotion of basic international standards of traditional Chinese medicine will consolidate the brand of traditional Chinese medicine service trade. We will promote academic exchanges and cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine and deepen the trade in traditional Chinese medicine service Promote, strengthen the construction of an international platform, and create a first-class international trade window of traditional Chinese medicine. " Li Kun, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said.