The 2024 China-ASEAN Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Industry Exchange and Promotion Conference was held in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, on July 26 as part of the ongoing 2024 China-ASEAN Cultural Exchange Year activities.

The 2024 China-ASEAN Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Exchange and Promotion Conference is held on July 26. [Photo/Yellow River News]

"As an important birthplace of TCM culture, Shanxi is a TCM hub and a new beacon for TCM preservation and innovation," said Zhao Hongyan, vice governor of Shanxi. She also expressed her desire to further enhance cooperation between China and ASEAN countries on a mutually beneficial level in the TCM industry.

This sentiment was echoed with video remarks from Thailand's former Deputy Prime Minister Phinij Jarusombat and Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Health Lukanisman Awang Sauni. 

Shanxi holds immense potential for TCM production thanks to its unique natural environment and extensive resources. The province currently boasts 1,788 TCM varieties, a 5.6-million-mu (373,333.33 hectares) planting area and 194 TCM processing companies. It has a total herb output of 660,000 metric tons, accounting for around 11.61 percent of China's total output.

The Central China's Six-province Alliance of High-quality Traditional Chinese Medicine Development is established. [Photo/Yellow River News]

Over the course of centuries, TCM has spread widely across the globe, seeing increasing popularity in many countries. This year's conference will further strengthen bilateral trade relationships between China and ASEAN countries across multiple fields.

In addition, the release of the Report on the Development Status of the TCM Industry in ASEAN (2024), the establishment of Central China's Six-province Alliance of High-quality Traditional Chinese Medicine Development, and the convening of Central China's Six Provinces-ASEAN Symposium on the Development of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry were highlights of the conference.