Group photo of the guests present at the Conference
Jointly hosted by the Guangdong-Macao Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park (hereinafter referred to as “GMTCM Industrial Park”) and Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Industry Association, the “Conference for Promotion of Cooperation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park between Guangdong and Macao” was held in Hong Kong on April 18, at Hong Kong Intercontinental Hotel. The event was supported by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Commerce Department of Hengqin New Area of Zhuhai. Through the Conference, the Industrial Park has strengthened the cooperation and exchange in TCM industry with its counterparts, in Hong Kong, and promoted the industrial development advantages and supporting policies respectively from Macao, Hengqin New Area of Zhuhai and the Industrial Park. The event attracted approximately 130 representatives from TCM enterprises, business associations and scientific research institutes from Hong Kong.
Present at the Conference were the Consultant to the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Government of Macao SAR and Chairman of the Guangdong-Macao Traditional Chinese Medicine Industrial Park Development Co., Ltd., Lu Hong, and the Founder Chairman of the Chinese Medicine Industry Association of Hong Kong, Li Ying Sang, who have delivered their speeches as well as the Assistant Director of the Health Department of the Government of Hong Kong SAR, Tsui Lok-Kin, having all expressed common expectations that the event would serve as a reference point for the Industrial Park to act as an important catalyst and channel of cooperation and exchange between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in the TCM industry.
In her speech, Chairman Lu Hong mentioned that over the years, the Central Government has been supporting and assisting Macao in fostering the development of adequate diversification of its economy. Currently, in the face of new patterns of growth opportunities and development of regional cooperation brought by the national strategies such as the “Belt and Road” Initiative, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, among others, Macao will articulate its role as a facilitator on the basis of the needs of the Central Government, by seizing its own singularities, through implementation of a series of work as defined in the Government policy address that aim at accelerating the growth and development of the various emerging industries. The TCM industry represents an integral part of Macao Government's first Five-year Plan, also as one of the main industries to promote an adequate economic diversification development in Macao, and above all, being one of the principal components of the “Belt and Road” Initiative. The Macao Government attaches great importance to the industrialization and internationalization of TCM, and thereby, accelerated the construction of the GMTCM Park under the Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao. In view of this, besides enhancing a high-quality development of TCM industry in Macao, the Government looks forward to ensuring a balanced regional development, by means of its integration into the national framework of global development, as a strategic positioning in the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.
As an important vector and platform of the Government of Macao for the development of TCM industry, the Industrial Park has achieved remarkable results in the first phase through efforts in building a technology-based public service platform and a business-based international exchange and cooperation platform that generated good development environment conducive to favorable conditions for the enterprises therein. In the future, the Industrial Park will continue to work actively towards building and enrichment of the various platforms to better serve the TCM enterprises in the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area, serving as a bridge connecting the regions for joint promotion of a coordinated development of TCM industry within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
In his speech, Founder-Chairman, Li Ying Sang, stated that the "Belt and Road" Initiative, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the launch of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge among other factors, not only will advance the development of Hong Kong, but also offer great opportunities for Hong Kong enterprises. Bearing in mind the current accelerated growth pace of the Industrial Park, he hopes that the entrepreneurs can grasp the growth opportunities in order to help the Park to optimize its public service platform, and show-case the world Hong Kong's high-quality and patented traditional Chinese medicine products seizing, thereby, own advantages, with a view to expanding overseas the TCM products from China to the world markets, so as to scale new heights.
According to the Industrial Park’s Activities Promotion Plan for 2018, the Conference for Promotion held in Hong Kong is a subsequent edition to that taken place last February, in Macao. At the event, the Vice-President of the Industrial Park, Feng Zhun, by request of the TCM enterprises in Hong Kong, delivered an introduction on the main functions of the public service platform of the Industrial Park. Also invited, were representatives of the Guangdong Food and Drug Administration to conduct a deep interpretation of the policy contents of "Guangdong Province's Policy of Entrusting Enterprises with Drug Processing and Register Outside Mainland China" and "Drug Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) System ", among others. The representatives of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and Hengqin Commerce Department gave detailed presentations respectively on the investment environment of Macao’s TCM industry and the investment opportunities of Medical and Healthcare industry of Hengqin.
Further, the guests and representatives from the TCM industries, were particularly interested in the scope of professional services offered by the Industrial Park, among a few, ranging from the launch of new TCM products, production testing, product decomposition, to registration service for national patents and in foreign markets. Moreover, representatives from the Guangdong Food and Drug Administration and Hengqin Commerce Department, focused on detailed discussions of issues of common interest raised by the TCM enterprises, namely the mutual registration of TCM products between Hong Kong and Mainland China counterparts, processing of commissioned products, and inspection and quarantine of TCM products, and so forth that have contributed to enthusiast exchanges.
The present Conference for Promotion was supported by the following entities: Hong Kong Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine Association; Hong Kong South and North Herbal Medicine Company Yiyitang Chamber of Commerce; the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Merchants Association; the Hong Kong Pharmacy Association; the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association; the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Medicine, the International Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, among others.
