The Presidents’ Forum 2024 of the Belt and Road Alliance for Traditional Chinese Medicine was held at CUHK on 16 August 2024. More than 30 presidents and representatives from traditional medicine-related universities and colleges from mainland China and Belt and Road countries and regions gathered on the CUHK campus to discuss the internationalisation and modernisation of traditional medicine.
Over 300 attendees from more than 60 institutions attended the event, including representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, the Hong Kong government, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) administrative bureaus and government departments from mainland provinces, as well as ambassadors or consuls-general from countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Former CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Rocky S. Tuan said in his welcome address: “Since its establishment last year by CUHK, with the full support of the initiating and founding members, the Alliance has been committed to promoting the inheritance of and innovation traditional medicine, integrating it with modern practices and taking it to the world, which resonates with CUHK’s founding mission to combine tradition with modernity and to bridge China and the West.”
Hong Kong Secretary for Health Professor Lo Chung-mau said Hong Kong possessed excellent conditions for the development of Chinese medicine, which include a comprehensive regulatory system for Chinese medicine, abundant talent and extensive experience in areas such as healthcare services, education, research and international connectivity. The government had dedicated more resources to establishing flagship infrastructure and taking forward various policy measures benefiting the growth of the Chinese medicine sector, he said.
Mr. Nicholas Ho Lik-chi, Hong Kong’s Commissioner for Belt and Road, said he looked forward to the alliance playing a critical role in forging partnerships amongst universities, research institutes, academia and enterprises on TCM: “Together we could bring TCM to new heights to navigate towards a successful Health Silk Road, or creating more development opportunities for Belt and Road countries and tangible benefits for the people.”
The attendees witnessed a plaque-unveiling ceremony for the Belt and Road International Laboratory for Innovative Traditional Medicine Research, with several universities from Canada, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa and Sri Lanka joining as new founding member units of the Alliance. Professor Zhang Zhongde, Vice-Chairman of the Alliance, said: “The establishment of the Joint Laboratory marks our commitment to integrating global scientific research efforts and carrying out in-depth academic exchanges and research cooperation. Through this platform, we hope to bring together outstanding talents from various countries and regions to jointly explore the modernisation of traditional medicine and promote its application in the fields of disease prevention, treatment and health management.”
Professor Xu Hongxi, chairman of the Alliance, delivered a keynote speech on “Opportunities and Challenges of Traditional Medicine Globalisation”, highlighting the importance of improving the quality and standards of traditional medicine, strengthening international cooperation and promoting scientific research.
In addition, 25 participating presidents and representatives had in-depth discussions on the internationalisation and modernisation of traditional medicine, the establishment of a new university model for traditional medicine, and the development of new quality productive forces in traditional medicine, in three round-table sessions.
Round-table Discussion I ：The Internationalisation and Modernisation Development of Traditional Medicine
From left: Professor Chan Wai-yee, Executive Chairman of the Alliance, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice President of CUHK (Moderator)
Professor Chuah Joon Huang, President of Southern University College
Profosser Te Kian Keong , Director of Centre for Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
Professor Anoja Attanayake, Professor in Biochemistry of University of Ruhuna
Professor Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Professor of Epidemiology of Prince of Songkla University
Dr. Quinton Johnson, Director of International Academic Programmes Office of University of Cape Town
Dr. Chen Xin, Director of Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences of University of Macau
Dr. Shen Yunhui, Technical Officer, Traditional, Contemporary and Integrative Medicine (TCI) Unit, Integrated Health Services (HIS)/UHL, WHO
Round-table Discussion II ：Establishing a New-form University of Traditional Medicine
From left:
Professor Gao Xiumei, President of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(Moderator);
Professor Shu Jing, Vice-President of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Professor Shu Fan, President of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine
Professor Li Lei, Vice-President of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine
Professor Tsui Chi Ho Ban, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
Professor Yu Rong, Vice-President of Hunan University Chinese Medicine
Professor Wang Hongwei, President of Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine
Mr. Sun Hongxin, Deputy Secretary of Party Committee of Xinjiang Medical University
Round-table Discussion III ：The Development of New Quality Productive Forces in Traditional Medicine
From left:
Professor Li Candong, President of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Moderator)
Professor Jiang Yunlan, Deputy Secretary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Sichuan Province
Professor Tian Weiyi, Deputy Secretary of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Professor Zhai Lixiang, President of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
Professor Xiao Jian, Vice-President of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine
Professor Cui Yazhou, Vice-President of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Professor Zhang Tianfeng, Secretary of Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
Professor Du Qingfeng, Dean of School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University