International standards can help promote the high-quality growth of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), according to experts at an industry conference in Hong Kong.
In his opening speech, Shen Yuandong, chair of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/TC 249 Traditional Chinese Medicine committee, noted that TCM has spread worldwide.
He told the International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products 2024, which kicked off in the special administrative region on Aug 15, that TCM has been applied in 196 countries and regions.
He said the Chinese government has signed 43 TCM cooperation agreements with other countries and international organizations, while acupuncture has been recognized for use by 113 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO).
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The widespread dissemination and global recognition of TCM further underscores the need to establish unified international standards to secure and accelerate its development, Shen said.
It is against this background that the ISO/TC 249 Traditional Chinese Medicine committee was established, Shen said. The committee has already built 112 ISO standards for TCM, he added.
Shen stated that sharing one common set of international standards will provide a more thorough understanding of the safety and reliability of TCM raw materials, driving the standardized global production and safe utilization of TCM products.
Standardization will help TCM better penetrate global markets while enabling its high-quality growth, he added.
The theme of this year’s conference is Industry-University-Research Collaboration and Clinical Research on TCM, and the conference also focuses on TCM in Belt and Road markets.
Lawrence Lo, president of the Chinese Medicine International Association, said in his welcome speech that TCM serves as an important part of Chinese culture.
Heightened global attention on TCM through the Belt and Road Initiative has deepened international understanding of Chinese culture, strengthened ties between China and other countries, and facilitated the growth of the traditional medicine ecosystem worldwide, he explained.
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Chun-Tao Che, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Herbal Medicines, shared the opportunities and challenges in researching Chinese medicines. He highlighted that proper authentication of source materials remains a major scientific challenge in TCM research.
Interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists, biologists, TCM specialists, and clinicians holds immense potential for the growth of TCM, said Che, who is also a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Pharmacy.
Shen from the ISO also shared his insights on the cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong in the international standardization of TCM.
Shanghai has led the process by establishing the Shanghai National Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone of TCM, he said.
Shanghai and Hong Kong can further strengthen exchanges and collaboration, establish new mechanisms, and jointly drive forward a wider dissemination of TCM across the world, Shen added.
