Hong Kong is expected to become a hub for foreign-produced traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to enter the Asia-Pacific market.
　　The prediction was made by Liu Kaixuan, vice-president of Asia-Pacific marketing of US-based Sino Field Investments.

Sino Field serves as the sales agent of the US-based Metabolife International Inc which produces herbal medicine and health-care products.

Metabolife plans to launch five TCM end products in Hong Kong after gaining local authority approval.

The market for herbal medicines worldwide has been growing by more than 10 per cent annually, Liu said.

Although the home of TCM, China accounts for only 5 per cent of the world TCM market, he said.

And a growing number of foreign companies, including major multinational pharmaceutical companies, have been attracted to this large market.

In China, more fancily-packaged and expensive TCMs from overseas have outstripped the country's TCM exports since 1998.

TCM producers in China should strengthen research, development, and marketing to meet the increasing competition from overseas companies, Liu said.

Chinese TCM enterprises should also attach great importance to protection of their intellectual property rights, Liu added.

　　From Chinadaily.com.cn