The 2019 Traditional Medicine International Development Forum opens in Lisbon, Portugal on 15 May
Hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People’s Republic of China, and coordinated by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao (‘Industrial Park’), the ‘2019 Traditional Medicine International Development Forum (Euro-Africa)’ held its grand opening in Lisbon, Portugal on 15 May 2019. During the event, the Industrial Park signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health and Social Security of the Republic of Cape Verde to expand and deepen the cooperation between the two sides in the field of Traditional Medicine.
Present at the opening ceremony of the Forum were the Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Mr. Fernando Chui Sai On, the Representative of the Minister of Health and Social Security of the Republic of Cape Verde and Consul General of Cape Verde, Mr. Eurico Correia Monteiro, the Ambassador of the Embassy of Republic People’s of China to the Republic of Portugal, Mr. Cai Run, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Mozambique, Mr. João Leopoldo da
Costa, the Representative of Portugal, Ms. Maria João Bonifácio, the Representative of the Commissioner of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People’s Republic of China and Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, Dr. Wang Xiaopin, the Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Ms. Chan Hoi Fan, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Mr. Alexis Tam Chon Weng, and the Adviser to the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government and President and CEO of the Guangdong-Macao Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Industrial Park Development Co., Ltd., Ms. Lu Hong.
The President of the Industrial Park, Ms. Lu Hong, stated in her speech that the Macao SAR Government attaches great importance to the industrialization and internationalization of the Traditional Chinese Medicine. Serving as an important carrier and platform to develop the Traditional Chinese Medicine industry for the Macao SAR Government, the Industrial Park has been pushing forward its hardware development and advantageous platform construction in an orderly manner since 2015, The efforts have got off to a good start, particularly in terms of its internationalization, and laid a solid foundation for the development of TCM abroad.
The ‘AMIGO Alliance’ program launched at the ceremony is the first initiative under the ‘International Youth TCM Practitioners Exchange Base’ undertaken by the Chief Executive of the MSAR. In this way, we will connect youth TCM practitioners in China, including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as young TCM lovers in Portuguese-speaking countries and even the whole world. They will exchange and grow together on this platform, while making contributions to the promotion of traditional medical technology and culture in different countries and regions. Inheritance and development make efforts and contributions. The Industrial Park expects to facilitate the joint development of young talents in the world while driving the diversified development of the TCM industry in Macao.
Subsequently, Dr. Wang Xiaopin, the Representative of the Commissioner of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People’s Republic of China and Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation, and Mr. Cai Run, the Ambassador of the Embassy of Republic People’s of China to the Republic of Portugal, delivered their speeches. They fully acknowledged that the Macao SAR Government had functioned as a diversified platform for promoting the modernization and internationalization of TCM in Macao. It also served as a platform and played an important supporting role in deepening the cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, especially in the cooperation in TCM between China and Portugal. In the future, TCM cooperation is expected to become a new growth factor for bilateral cooperation between China and Portugal.
Dr. Eurico Correia Monteiro, the Representative of the Minister of Health and Social Security of Cape Verde and the Ambassador of Cape Verde in Portugal, and Mr. Jõao Leopoldo da Costa, the Deputy Minister for Health of the Republic of Mozambique, both believed that the exchange and cooperation brought by the forum would promote research in traditional medicine, optimize related pharmaceutical products, and play an active role in pushing forward the globalization of traditional medicine and alternative medicine in Europe and Africa. It was also expected that partners and peers could provide support in the construction and implementation of related projects, policies and national plans, thus vigorously advancing the development of traditional medicine.
This Forum has invited approximately 300 guests, including Traditional Medicine-related government agencies, youth TCM practitioners, distributor representatives, and industrial associations from China, the EU, Africa, and bordering nations along the Belt and Road, to focus on ‘The Role and Positioning of International Youth TCM Practitioners in the Development of TCM’, market access policies in EU and African countries, and international registration and trading, with a view to promoting the development of the Traditional Medicine industry and related talents at deeper and broader levels in the international arena. The Forum also takes the opportunity brought by the Belt and Road Initiative and the strategy of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to build a platform for exchanges in international registration and trading cooperation for government agencies, enterprises, and organizations related to Traditional Medicine and health industries in related countries. Moreover, the Macao SAR Government uses the Industrial Park as a carrier to further strengthen the influence of Macao in European and African countries and regions, boost the internationalization of TCM culture and industry, and contribute to the country’s Belt and Road Initiative in the traditional medicine field.
The Industrial Park signed an MoU with the Ministry of Health and Social Security of the Republic of Cape Verde at the opening ceremony. The two sides will expand and deepen the bilateral cooperation in Traditional Medicine industry. The Industrial Park will provide technical consultation and guidance, policy consultation and advice, and training in TCM and quality control for the Ministry of Health and Social Security of the Republic of Cape Verde and its affiliated agencies. In turn, the Ministry will support the Industrial Park in promoting registration, trading and training in Traditional Medicine and food supplements, as well as in the industrial cooperation. In addition, the Appointment Ceremony for Mentors of the International Youth TCM Practitioners Exchange Base was also held during the opening ceremony. Young TCM practitioners from China, Cape Verde and Mozambique demonstrated TCM techniques on the spot. On the same day, the ‘AMIGO – Interactive Segment among International Youth TCM Practitioners’ and the Business Matching Forum also took place.
The Forum has received strong support from government agencies, industrial associations and research institutions including the Associação de Comerciantes e Industriais Luso-Chinesa em Portugal (ACILC), the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Portugal, the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Mozambique, the Ministry of Health and Social Security of the Republic of Cape Verde, the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), the Health Bureau of MSAR Government, and the University of Macau.
