The Report on the Work of the Government in 2017 pointed out that we should support the development of traditional Chinese medicine and ethnic medicine. Since the "the Belt and Road" initiative was proposed, all relevant industries have actively participated in it. As an important part of China's pharmaceutical industry, the Chinese medicine industry will also take advantage of the "the Belt and Road" to promote industrial development and internationalization.

The strength of diversified development is gradually increasing

With the transformation of health concepts and medical models, traditional Chinese medicine has provided valuable experience for the international community in the fields of chronic diseases, major diseases, and emerging infectious diseases. The concept of traditional Chinese medicine is gradually being accepted by countries around the world, and it has received increasing attention from the international community. The global demand for traditional Chinese medicine products is also increasing, providing broad space for the development of China's traditional Chinese medicine industry.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traditional Chinese medicine has been recognized through government legislation in 29 countries and regions, including Australia, Canada, Austria, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa. Traditional Chinese medicine has been included in medical insurance in 18 countries and regions, and hundreds of traditional Chinese medicine schools have been established in more than 30 countries and regions, specifically for training traditional Chinese medicine talents. The development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry internationally is showing a diversified trend.

In recent years, with the country's attention and support to the Chinese medicine industry, as well as the continuous improvement of the industry's concentration ratio and scale, the development strength of China's Chinese medicine industry has gradually increased. According to statistics, the output value of China's traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations industry in 2014 reached 614.1 billion yuan, accounting for 23.8% of the total output value of China's pharmaceutical industry. Combined with the industrial output value of traditional Chinese medicine slices, traditional Chinese medicine products account for one-third of the total output value of the pharmaceutical industry. At the same time, the traditional Chinese medicine industry has also made progress in internationalization, with an increasing number of enterprises participating in international registration and certification; The pace of overseas financing and mergers and acquisitions is accelerating, and overseas marketing networks are gradually establishing; The pace of drug registration in the mainstream pharmaceutical market is accelerating.

"The Belt and Road" brings new opportunities

In recent years, the import and export volume of China's traditional Chinese medicine has been constantly refreshed, and the level of industrial internationalization has gradually improved. The proposal of the "the Belt and Road" initiative has opened a new window of opportunity for complementary advantages and open development of countries along the line, and provided a new platform for international cooperation. Countries along the route will conduct in-depth exchanges and cooperation in transportation, industry, finance, and international trade, which will also provide new development opportunities for the internationalization of China's traditional Chinese medicine industry.

The reporter learned from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medical and Health Products that currently, Chinese traditional medicine has been exported to 183 countries and regions worldwide. Among them, the Asian region is more influenced by traditional Chinese culture due to its geographical relationship, and is not only a traditional market for Chinese medicine exports, but also a major market. In addition, due to the public's recognition of herbal knowledge and functions, some European and African countries also have a certain degree of recognition for Chinese traditional medicine, which has laid the foundation for the development of Chinese traditional medicine in Asian, European, and African countries.

Countries along the "the Belt and Road" occupy an important position in the process of internationalization of Chinese medicine. According to statistics, from 2010 to 2014, China's TCM trade volume with countries along the "the Belt and Road" accounted for more than 50% of China's total import and export of TCM. In 2014, the export volume of Chinese medicine products to countries along the "the Belt and Road" was 1.94 billion US dollars, accounting for 54.0%, involving 2699 export enterprises; The import volume is 600 million US dollars, accounting for 58.1%, involving 871 import enterprises.

With the gradual progress of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, China has a broader prospect of exchanges and cooperation in the field of traditional Chinese medicine with countries along the line. There are many trade cooperation points of traditional Chinese medicine with countries along the line, with unlimited development potential.