The 4th Belt and Road Forum for Traditional Chinese Medicine Development was held in Beijing during the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) on September 5th. The theme of this forum is “Traditional Chinese Medicine Helps Build a Community of Common Health for Mankind”. Chen Zhu, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, gave a video speech. Gao Yan, President of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade; Huang Luqi, Deputy Director and Party Group Member of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Chen Zhu said that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a great creation by the Chinese nation and a gem of science in ancient China. Efforts must be made to carry forward, develop and make full use of the TCM as Chinese contribution to building a community of common health for mankind. We must keep to the right path, and make innovations to the TCM and use the TCM for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, promote TCM services in the world, make TCM a health envoy for people-to-people bonds, and contribute to the well-being of people of all countries.

Huang Luqi said that since the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine has actively promoted the involvement of TCM in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. TCM has contributed to improving the health and well-being of the peoples in the countries along the Belt and Road, and cemented people-to-people bonds. In the future, it will facilitate the high-quality involvement of the TCM in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, help build a community of common health for mankind, harness the unique strengths of TCM, increase the provision of high-quality TCM services featuring health, and participate in the global fight against the epidemic. Efforts will be made to increase the benefits of international cooperation in the TCM, and promote the sharing of benefits with the countries along the Belt and Road. Based on the reality of different countries and people’s medical and healthcare needs, it will design and implement TCM cooperation strategies, models and projects. While providing stellar medical and health care services for local people, it will explore the role of planting of Chinese medicinal materials in poverty reduction and ecological protection, increase TCM’s contribution to the local countries, and promote the TCM as a resource shared with countries involved in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. It will coordinate the domestic and international markets and help build a new pattern of development. It supports local governments and institutions in carrying out various types of international exchanges and cooperation with unique characteristics in traditional Chinese medicine. While developing the international market and fostering cooperation, it will draw on advanced management experience and technology to provide domestic people with better TCM services. It will give full play to the important role of integrated business forms such as TCM-based health tourism and forest-based health care and eldercare in driving the development of the domestic health service sector.

“Healthy China · Cloud Platform” and Standards for the Peony Industry and Edible Peony Products were released at the forum, demonstrating the achievements made by Heilongjiang, Jilin, Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan and other provinces in promoting the TCM and high-quality development of the industry. Participants made reports on topics such as “support both TCM and Western medicine, and develop the TCM”, “promote the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and deepen international cooperation in TCM”, and “promote the global diffusion of TCM culture”.

This forum is co-sponsored by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and co-organized by China Chamber of International Commerce, China News of Traditional Chinese Medicine Press Co., Ltd., China Center for Science and Technology Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the secretariat of Belt and Road Forum for Traditional Chinese Medicine Development. More than 300 guests including representatives of domestic and foreign government bodies, experts and scholars, and business representatives participated in the forum.