Traditional Chinese medicine is accelerating its global outreach, with the value and benefits of TCM gaining broader recognition worldwide, as China continues to step up international cooperation — from organizing training programs to sending medical teams overseas.
TCM has reached 196 countries and regions worldwide, according to the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
China has signed TCM cooperation agreements with nearly 50 foreign governments, regional authorities and international organizations, and has set up 30 high-quality overseas TCM centers and 31 national-level TCM service export facilities, the administration said. These centers and facilities conduct medical services, personnel training, scientific research and cultural exchanges in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, it added.
The administration released the information ahead of the two-day World Conference on Traditional Medicine 2026, which is scheduled to open on Saturday in Beijing. The theme for this year's conference is "Technology Empowerment and Integrated Development: Advancing Traditional Medicine for All".
At a national meeting on health held in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, President Xi Jinping said that China has established the world's largest traditional medicine service system, as well as the world's largest system for medical service, disease prevention and control, and healthcare security.
He called for efforts to improve mechanisms for the preservation and innovative development of TCM and to strengthen the coordinated and integrated development of TCM and Western medicine.
In a congratulatory letter sent to the inaugural edition of the conference, which was held in December 2024 in Beijing, Xi had reaffirmed China's commitment to enhancing traditional medicine to better benefit people around the world.
China is willing to work with the international community to foster mutual learning in traditional medicine, integrate it more deeply into the global health system, and promote the innovative transformation and development of traditional medicine culture, Xi said in his message.
Tangible benefits
Amanda, a TCM practitioner from the United States, is among the many international students who have benefited from training programs held for foreigners at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine in Jiangsu province.
Guan Xiaowei, who organizes these training programs, said that earlier Amanda used to hesitate before inserting an acupuncture needle into a patient, worried that it might hurt.
"Amanda overcame her hesitation after she witnessed how widely TCM is accepted among the people in China. She told me that she could now return home with much more confidence in her practice," Guan added.
In recent years, a growing number of students, medical practitioners and TCM enthusiasts from the US have traveled to China to gain a deeper understanding of traditional remedies and hone their practical skills.
"Some have personally benefited from acupuncture and other TCM therapies, or have relatives and friends who have; so they came here seeking to understand better the science behind it," Guan said.
"Some are also health professionals who wish to expand their skills amid the growing popularity of TCM and integrative medicine in the US," she added.
Furthermore, cultural curiosity is driving the popularity of TCM, Guan noted. "There are many people interested in kung fu or tai chi, and they want to explore the TCM principles behind these, such as the balance of yin and yang and the harmony between humans and nature," she said.
According to the TCM administration, China has sent TCM teams in five batches to Cambodia as part of broader efforts to deliver tangible benefits to more people.
The China-Cambodia Traditional Chinese Medicine Center in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, now receives about 10,000 medical visits each year, more than half of them from Cambodians or other non-Chinese patients.
The center also sends TCM practitioners to remote and rural areas about twice each month, and has trained two local nurses.
Cooperation mechanisms
China has launched an initiative called New Era Shennong Tasting Herbs, promoting international cooperation in research and application of traditional medicinal resources. Under the initiative, the TCM administration has signed cooperation agreements with Indonesia and Seychelles, and supported the establishment of interagency cooperation mechanisms with more than 10 countries to carry out joint research on medicinal resources.
Meanwhile, the International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry was set up by the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and other institutions, in order to advance the quality of clinical studies and standardized development. China has also facilitated the establishment of a technical committee dedicated to traditional medicine within the International Organization for Standardization and has contributed to the release of 147 international standards for TCM.
The administration said it is committed to promoting high-quality TCM services overseas and deepening cooperation with the World Health Organization and other international agencies and countries in the future.
Efforts will also be made to step up the development of overseas TCM centers and promote policy communication and regulatory alignment in areas such as the registration of TCM products and the application of standards, while strengthening evidence-based research, innovation and the development of international standards, according to the administration.
Editor：Zhou Jinmiao
