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Sichuan-Hong Kong Cooperation in Chinese Medicine
Unveiled Business and Technology
During the 8th Western China International Economy & Trade Fair in Chengdu, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Chengdu of the Hong Kong SAR Government and Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology (SCDST) jointly hosted the Forum on Sichuan-Hong Kong Cooperation in Chinese Medicine on 24-25 May 2007. The Forum was co-organised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Institute of Chinese Medicine (HKJCICM), Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).
A Forum on Sichuan-Hong Kong Cooperation in Chinese Medicine was held in Chengdu
The Forum was well attended by officials from the Department of Health of the Hong Kong SAR Government (DH), the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong, the Society of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Chinese Prepared Medicine Traders Association and the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association (MCMIA) as well as various Chinese medical institutions. Representatives of the Chinese medicine profession in Macau and key Chinese Medicine enterprises, research institutes and Sino-foreign Chinese Medicine enterprises in Sichuan were also invited. Besides, to promote mutual understanding, the Fair also arranged on-site tours for participants such as the National Chengdu Center for Safety Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Enwei Group, the Kanghong Pharmaceutical Group and the Sichuan Neautus Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd. The delegates also gave valuable suggestions for the internationalization of quality Chinese medicine in Sichuan.
Capitalizing on this rare opportunity of the Grand Development of Western China, the Forum’s main theme was the professional exchange and interaction between the Chinese medicine industries in Sichuan and Hong Kong. It aimed to build a state-of-the-art platform for cooperation and interaction of Chinese medicine enterprises’, leveraging on Sichuan’s traditional advantages in the Chinese medicine industry and Hong Kong’s unique position in the international market, to foster in-depth cooperation and interflows between the two regions. In addition to the advantages of Sichuan in its resources in Chinese medicine and of Hong Kong in its trading and financial position, the two local governments offered enormous backups by organizing events that provided the Chinese medicine industry with various services and an extensive exchange platform.
The Forum Broadened the Scope of Cooperation between Sichuan and Hong Kong in Chinese Medicine
At the Forum, Zhou Menglin, Associate Director of the SCDST made a presentation on Production Status and Industrialization Development Strategies of Chinese Medicine in Sichuan. He said Sichuan’s rich endowment in medical herbs and industrial infrastructure had made it a leading province in Chinese medicine. He believed the two regions had vast cooperation potential in Chinese medicine. Officials from the DH presented the topic “the Entry Mechanism and Approval Procedures on Chinese Medicine Imports to Hong Kong” and Dr. Edmund Lee, Executive Director of the HKJCICM shared with participants the research and development of Chinese medicine and relevant business opportunities in Hong Kong. Other guests from Hong Kong gave an account on the efforts and achievements made by Hong Kong these years in promoting Chinese medicine into the mainstream international markets and its modernization process. Participants agreed that Sichuan had made remarkable headway in terms of medical herbs, traditional patent medicine and scientific research, while Hong Kong was rich in marketing experience. Through various platforms on technologies and trading established by the two local governments, enterprises in Hong Kong may grasp the latest developments in Chinese medicine in Sichuan while their Sichuan counterparts may share Hong Kong’s experience in market regulation, products modernization and overseas marketing. They may also employ the advantages of Hong Kong and Macau in information exchange, interactions and investments in Chinese medicine, which would help to gain international access and accelerate the international expansion of domestic Chinese medicine enterprises.
A more in-depth cooperation between the Chinese medicine industries in Sichuan and Hong Kong was envisaged through the Forum and extensive bilateral exchanges. Stronger cross-regional technological partnership and economic and trading interflows may foster further cooperation in Chinese medicine within the Pan Pearl River Delta region, add value to the development of the respective industries through cross-regional collaboration and advancement that work together for a brighter future.
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