The Successful Hosting of the “2018 Symposium on the Innovative Development and Trade Promotion of Traditional Medicine (Barcelona)” in Spain
The “2018 Symposium on the Innovative Development and Trade Promotion of Traditional Medicine (Barcelona)”, organised by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao (hereafter “the GMTCM Park”) in collaboration with the European Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was held on 9 July in Barcelona, Spain. Experts and representatives from government departments, associations, professional institutions related to registration, review and approval, and representatives from manufacturing and sales enterprises in countries and regions including the Macao SAR, mainland China, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany, are invited to the Symposium. In response to the national Belt and Road Initiative, it aims at promoting the international exchange and cooperation of traditional Chinese medicine culture and industry, and capitalising on the role of the GMTCM Park as an “International Window for the TCM Industry and Culture in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative”.
At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by, the Adviser to the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, President Lu Hong of the Guangdong-Macao Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Industrial Park Development Co., Ltd., Wang Xiaopin, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Hui, President of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products, Neus Rams, General Director of Professional and Health Regulation at the Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and Ramon Maria Calduch, Vice President of the European Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, respectively. In addition, Wang Yingqi, Commercial Counsel of the Chinese Embassy in Spain, also attended at the ceremony.
According to President Lu Hong, the GMTCM Park has been striving, with Macao as a platform and the GMTCM Park as a vehicle, to establish an exchange platform for traditional medicine experts from different regions and fields by means of forums, training programmes and other activities. It will also form the basis for carrying out substantive cooperation. In addition to the “Traditional Medicine International Cooperation Forum” held in Macao annually, professional seminars on traditional medicine have also been held in Southeast Asia and Europe for the last three consecutive years. Discussions on the issues of traditional medicine, with regards to policy, technology and markets, have laid the foundation for promoting the coordinated development of traditional medicine in various regions. Furthermore, it has also established a preliminary communication mechanism among Macao, Portuguese-speaking countries, EU countries and ASEAN countries, opening up channels for countries to cooperate in the traditional medicine industry.
Director Wang Xiaopin noted in her speech that a number of overseas TCM centres and TCM exchange and cooperation bases have been established, in response to TCM’s potential for global development and cooperation needs. Regarding the GMTCM Park’s construction project of a “Public Service Platform for Overseas Registration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Products” as assigned by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wang has affirmed the work of the GMTCM Park. She hoped that China and EU countries will further capitalise on Macao’s role as a platform to strengthen cooperation and share the fruits of cooperation, thereby enabling TCM to better serve the public in the EU.
Zhou Hui, President of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products, noted the long history of application of traditional medicine in China and European countries. More importantly, the inheritance and innovation of traditional medicine has been a topic of concern in the medicine sector in China and overseas. It is therefore necessary for the government, industry organisations and medicine enterprises to collaborate closely. It not only helps realise development in inheritance and innovation in development, but also promotes the rapid growth of traditional medicine trade.
Neus Rams, General Director of Professional and Health Regulation, at the Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia, pointed out that the Catalonia region has 50% of the pharmaceutical industry in Spain. It is hoped that the Symposium would deepen mutual understanding with regards to lifestyle, health, treatments and disease prevention, thereby promoting opportunities for cooperation among the participants.
Dr Ramon Maria Calduch, Vice President of the European Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, noted that the Symposium’s topics included the development direction and strategy, quality control, and clinical application of traditional medicine in Europe, as well as its integration into Western countries’ health systems. He looked forward to seeing more relevant forums in the future, which would help generate business opportunities and improve the overall health care system.
The Symposium centred around the three themes of “Registration Barriers and Development Strategies for Traditional Medicine Products and Food Supplements”, “Quality Control of Import and Export of Traditional Medicine Products” and “International Markets and Development Trends of Traditional Medicine”. In the form of round-table discussions and through keynote speeches and free discussions, guests were able to carry out discussion and exchange. In addition to having invited representatives from various industries to discuss and share their experience, eight enterprises from Macao, mainland China, and Europe had brought along their own products to match with European importers. Furthermore, they also took part in the discussion and EU experts in the field answered their technical and professional questions in detail. The Symposium helps promote the mutual penetration of traditional medicine, health products and technology in different countries. It has therefore laid a solid foundation for the “Public Service Platform for Overseas Registration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Products” of the GMTCM Park in enabling TCM products in Macao and the mainland to go global.
On the day after the Symposium, some of the participants took the opportunity to visit the European Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in a bid to understand the development situations and strengths of TCM in Spain. In addition, they also explored the development of traditional medicine in the two places with various parties. After the visit, the GMTCM Park team headed to Brussels, Belgium, to continue the trip. They paid a visit to institutions including a local TCM association and China-Belgium Technology Centre.
