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The Presidents’ Forum 2024 of the Belt and Road Alliance for Traditional Chinese Medicine was held at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) on 16 August. More than 30 presidents and representatives from traditional medicine-related universities and colleges in mainland China and among the Belt and Road countries and regions gathered on the CUHK campus to discuss the internationalisation and modernisation of traditional medicine.

Over 300 attendees from more than 60 institutions attended the event, including representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, the Hong Kong government, and traditional Chinese medicine administrative bureaus and government departments from provinces in mainland China, as well as ambassadors or consuls-general from various countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, delivered a welcome address. He said, “Since its establishment last year by CUHK, with the full support of the initiating and founding members, the Alliance has been committed to promoting the inheritance of and innovation intradtional medicine, integrating it with modern practices and taking it to the world, which resonates with CUHK’s founding mission to combine tradition with modernity and to bridge China and the West. As the initiating institution of the Alliance, CUHK will continue to collaborate with other member institutions to propel the industry towards a more sustainable future.”

Professor Lo Chung-mau, Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong government, said, “Promoting the standardisation, modernisation and internationalisation of Chinese medicine is instrumental in enhancing the construction of a modernised industry under our nation’s ‘new quality productive forces’ strategy. In fact, in the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernisation adopted recently, one of the key work areas mentioned was to improve the mechanisms for promoting the preservation and innovative development of traditional Chinese medicine.”

He continued, “Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the Motherland and being closely connected to the world. We possess excellent conditions for the holistic and high-quality development of Chinese medicine, which include a comprehensive regulatory system for Chinese medicine, abundant talents and extensive experience in areas such as healthcare services, education, research and international connectivity. In recent years, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has dedicated more resources to establishing flagship infrastructure and taking forward various policy measures benefiting the growth of the Chinese medicine sector.”

Mr Nicholas Ho Lik-chi, Commissioner for Belt and Road, Commerce and Economic Bureau, Hong Kong government, said, “We have witnessed tremendous progress in the integration of the Traditional Chinse Medicine (TCM) into the medical systems of Belt and Road countries. We anticipate more deepened medical exchanges and cooperation in the current golden decade of the Belt and Road Initiative. Hong Kong as a ‘super value-adder’ and a ‘super-connector’ will be one of the perfect bases for R&D of TCM and commercialisation to Belt and Road countries. I look forward to the Belt and Road Alliance for Traditional Chinese Medicine in playing a critical role in forging partnerships amongst universities, research institutes, academia and enterprises on TCM. Together we could bring TCM to new heights to navigate towards a successful Health Silk Road, or creating more development opportunities for Belt and Road countries and tangible benefits for the people.”

The attendees witnessed a plaque-unveiling ceremony for the Belt and Road International Laboratory for Innovative Traditional Medicine Research, with several universities from Canada, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa and Sri Lanka joining as new founding member units of the Alliance. Professor Xu Hongxi, Chairman of the Alliance, delivered a keynote speech on “Opportunities and Challenges of Traditional Medicine Globalisation”, highlighting the importance of improving the quality and standards of traditional medicine, strengthening international cooperation and promoting scientific research.

In addition, 25 participating presidents and representatives had in-depth discussions on the internationalisation and modernisation of traditional medicine, the establishment of a new-form university of traditional medicine, and the development of new quality productive forces in traditional medicine, in three round-table sessions. The event concluded with the closing ceremony of the 6^th Advanced Training Program on the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine along the Belt and Road.

About the Belt and Road Alliance for Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Belt and Road Alliance for Traditional Chinese Medicine was proposed by CUHK and initiated by the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningxia Medical University, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Sichuan Province and the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association. It is a non-profit cooperative organisation formed by uniting traditional medicine institutions across the Belt and Road countries and regions. Currently, the founding members of the Alliance include 30 provincial-level universities and colleges, as well as 21 renowned enterprises in the field of traditional Chinese medicine.