Remarks by H.E. Li Qiang Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China at the Opening Ceremony of the World Conference on Traditional Medicine 2026
Beijing, October 17, 2026
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
It is a pleasure to meet you all in Beijing at the World Conference on Traditional Medicine 2026. On behalf of the Chinese government, I extend our warmest congratulations on the opening of the conference and a warm welcome to all participants.
In five days, we will mark the annual World Traditional Medicine Day. As President Xi Jinping noted in his congratulatory message to the World Conference on Traditional Medicine 2024, traditional medicine is an achievement of human civilization. We must preserve and carry forward its finest legacies from generation to generation. We must also keep pace with the times, and break new ground. In this day and age, how should traditional medicine, with its long history, adapt to new circumstances and better play its role? I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my observations and reflections with you, drawing on China’s practice in developing traditional medicine.
I. Traditional medicine is a unique force in safeguarding human health and advancing civilization.
Traditional medicine is rooted in thousands of years of human experience in life and work. It embodies the wisdom that humanity has accumulated in its struggle against disease and its quest to live in harmony with nature.Over the long course of its development, traditional medicine has grown richer in scope and substance and taken on broader functions and missions.
First, traditional medicine serves as a crucial safeguard for life and health. Historically, the world’s diverse traditional medicine systems adapted to local particularities, played to their respective strengths, and effectively helped humans relieve pain and illness, thus writing splendid chapters in advancing global health. To this day, traditional medicine,with its unique diagnostic and therapeutic thinking and methods,continues to complement modern medicine. Traditional and modern medicine are learning from each other and jointly protecting human health and well-being.
Second, traditional medicine encapsulates the diversity of civilizations. Every traditional medicine system embodies the ethos and cultural identity of a nation. Through the many medical classics,formulas, and diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, we gain insights into how different civilizations understand and approach life, nature and the relationship between the individual and society. Passed down from generation to generation, these precious intellectual legacies create a splendid tapestry of human civilization.
Third, traditional medicine is an important bond of friendship between nations. Exchanges and cooperation in the field of traditional medicine are not only a sharing of skills and techniques, but also a convergence of ideas and philosophies. From the trade of one medicinal material for another along the ancient Silk Road, to the preservation and integration of ancient medical knowledge during the Greco-Arabic Translation Movement, and to joint research by the traditional medicine communities of different countries in recent years, such exchanges and cooperation have helped raise medical standards, deepen mutual understanding between nations, and promote people-to-people bonds.
II. Through time-honored practice, China's traditional medicine has forged a distinctive development path.
Traditional medicine in China is customarily known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM is a treasure of Chinese civilization and an outstanding representative of traditional medicine worldwide. The Chinese government has consistently attached great importance to the development of TCM, placing equal emphasis on TCM and Western medicine and promoting their integration. China has built the world’s largest traditional medicine system, and established a comprehensive framework for coordinated development across TCM inheritance,research, industry, and talent cultivation. We have accumulated valuable experience, which is widely seen as useful reference for the development of traditional medicine around the world.
First, we must uphold our fine tradition while breaking new ground and unlock and harness the full potential of TCM. Over the long course of its development, TCM has produced a wealth of classics,including the Compendium of Materia Medica. These classics embody profound theories and philosophies. We are both carrying forward classical medical theories, formulas, and techniques, staying true to the “roots” and “soul” of TCM, and applying modern science and technology to bring about creative transformation and innovative application of TCM. China has established a multi-tiered framework for TCM innovation, continuously producing high-quality research and remarkable results in treating difficult and complicated cases and responding to major public health emergencies. TCM, with its ancient roots, is gaining renewed vitality.
Second, we must strengthen policy support to cultivate and showcase the distinct strengths of TCM. We fully leverage TCM’s composite strengths in safeguarding people’s health, particularly preventive care and treatment, syndrome differentiation and treatment, and holistic regulation,and make effective use of its distinctive features of being simple,convenient, effective, and affordable. We have put in place legal and administrative arrangements and stepped up input of resources and policy backing, and actively promoted the extensive application of TCM in various medical institutions and clinical settings. At present, TCM institutions account for about one tenth of all medical institutions in China, and nearly all of our medical institutions provide TCM services.TCM is playing unique role in protecting people's health.
Third, we must emphasize inclusivity, and promote mutual learning between TCM and other traditional medicine systems. We develop TCM with an open mind and a global vision, placing greater emphasis on drawing on the strengths of others, learning from the advanced concepts and theories, diagnostic and therapeutic techniques of outstanding traditional medicine systems around the world. We have launched the New Shennong Initiative named after a mythological Chinese figure who is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs to test their medical value, which aims to enrich TCM's theoretical and practical systems. At the same time,we have further opened up the TCM market and welcome international investment and cooperation, thereby driving innovation and upgrading in the TCM sector. Thanks to these efforts, TCM has become a more open and practical system of diagnosis and treatment. It has spread to 196countries and regions, bringing benefits to their people.
III. The international community should work together to meet the challenges of our time and promote the renewed development of traditional medicine.
Population aging is accelerating worldwide. The prevention and control of chronic diseases is a growing challenge. The risks of emerging and sudden-onset infectious diseases persist. Against this backdrop, the unique value of traditional medicine has become ever more evident. The international community should strengthen coordination and collaboration, better integrate and leverage traditional medicine resources,and jointly address various challenges to human health.
First, we must harness science and technology to speed up innovation-driven development of traditional medicine. Advances in science and technology have opened up new horizons for traditional medicine. We should promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence and modern biomedicine with traditional medicine, use new technologies to rediscover the value of ancient formulas and improve diagnostic and therapeutic protocols, and drive the transformation of traditional medicine from an art of experience into a science-based discipline and from an ancient legacy into modern remedies. Recently,China has published its 15th Five-Year Plan for the Revitalization and Development of TCM, which prioritizes the digital and intelligent transformation of TCM. We encourage and support Chinese and foreign research institutions and enterprises to take an active part in building an open and collaborative international framework for TCM innovation.
Second, we must deepen exchanges and cooperation to forge synergy for the development of traditional medicine. Only by enabling traditional medicine systems to move from their local roots onto the global stage and advancing together through mutual learning, can they form greater synergy and create greater values. We should build more open platforms for dialogue and cooperation, and promote policy connectivity, market connectivity, and mutual recognition of qualifications among countries. We should strengthen international industrial chains and provide a favorable environment for the global development of traditional medicine. China will continue to expand pilot programs for opening up its medical service sector and work with all parties to advance the establishment of a medicinal resources conservation center under the Belt and Road Initiative. On the basis of stronger protection of intellectual property rights, we will deepen mutual learning and the sharing of traditional medicine knowledge and experience with other countries, so as to steadily strengthen our collective capacity to meet common challenges.
Third, we must advance inclusive and shared benefits and better promote global health equity. Only by insisting on universal benefit and strengthening institutional safeguards, can traditional medicine achieve steady and sustained development. We should work together to build a global community of health for all, implement the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034, facilitate the adaptive integration of traditional medicine into national health care systems, and strengthen support and assistance to developing countries. China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities to the best of its capabilities and help to bridge the global health divide.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
Many of you are health professionals. We Chinese often say that healing begins with a compassionate heart. In ancient China, those who practiced medicine were encouraged to heal the world through their expertise. One who safeguards health and life must be a person of deep compassion-one who holds in his heart family and country, and indeed the whole world. I believe many of you care deeply not only about human health, but also about the state of our world. When a person falls ill,they need care and recuperation. Likewise, when the world encounters problems and faces challenges, it needs proper governance. The Global Governance Initiative launched by President Xi Jinping provides an effective remedy for the various disorders plaguing today’s world. From the perspective of the global economy, problems such as sluggish growth, a widening divide, and rising barriers all call for careful diagnosis and targeted remedies. While we should not expect from history and tradition a perfect solution to all of today’s problems, we can and must draw wisdom and inspiration from our ancestors. TCM underscores a holistic, harmony-oriented approach, emphasizing systematic treatment that strengthens the foundation and nourishes vitality.The same holds true for economic governance. As all countries form an organic whole, no country can prosper in isolation, and no single model can be a panacea. Therefore, we should embrace the wisdom of inclusivity and harmony and move away from the obsession with zero-sum thinking. We should stand together in times of adversity and reject the short-sightedness of beggar-thy-neighbor policies. Only in this way can the world economy regain its health and vitality, and human society achieve greater peace, harmony, and well-being.
The health profession may have evolved a great deal from ancient times,but the underlying principle remains the same. The more the world has transformed, the more steadfastly we must uphold the right path. We call for viewing the world with a compassionate heart, pursuing development in the spirit of peaceful coexistence, and working hand in hand to safeguard human health and global prosperity.
Thank you.
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