The International Congress on Traditional Medicine opens today in Beijing, focusing on the development and application of traditional medicine in the 21th century.

More than 1,100 scholars from about 30 countries are expected to attend the three-day conference.

Discussions on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will be an important part of the congress.

In reviewing the development of TCM in the past five decades, a senior official with the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine said TCM has achieved great progress in variety and technology.

Major State programmes, such as the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996-2000), have included the development and research of TCM, demonstrating the government's backing of the age-old therapy, Vice-Minister Zhu Qingsheng said.

TCM relies on a unique treatment centering on Chinese herbal medicines, supplemented by acupuncture and moxibustion, medical massage and qigong (a system of deep breathing exercises).

China has also made energetic efforts to encourage the combination of Chinese and Western medicine.

During the Eighth Five-Year Plan (1991-95), China's research on TCM won 29 international awards.

The industrialization of TCM has been identified by the Ministry of Science and Technology as an ambitious move with paramount priority, he said.

He said as the government carries out development of the western region, his administration will strengthen TCM education among medical personnel and hospitals in western regions.

Zhu also called for eastern medical institutions to give more support to the less-developed western regions.

Talking about ongoing medical reforms, he said the previous medical system under the planned economy was obviously unsuitable for the market-oriented economy.

"However, we should not focus on equipping modern medical facilities while neglecting the features of TCM," he said.

He said through medical reform, TCM institutions should play a vigorous role in helping people enjoy high quality yet reasonably priced medical care.

"For this purpose, it is necessary for us to set down technical standards for TCM services," Zhu said, adding that all the services should closely follow the market demands.

China now has more than 12,000 varieties of plants used for medicine purposes. There are more than 600 production bases of medicinal herbs in China with an annual output of 250 million kilograms.

China now produces more than 6,000 kinds of traditional medicine products.

(From Chinadaily)