BEIJING — Huang Luqi, a national political adviser and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) expert, believes TCM will play a more important role in the country's health system.

TCM enjoys a unique advantage in disease prevention, said Huang, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the combination of TCM and Western medicine has greatly improved the cure rate and reduced the death rate, he said.

"It is necessary to establish a mechanism to coordinate the use of both kinds of medicine in major infectious disease prevention and treatment, and give full play to the advantages of TCM," Huang said.

The treatment of previous major epidemics has also proven that TCM is a valuable resource in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in the country, he said.

"I expect that advantages of TCM can yield more remarkable results and TCM becomes a strategic force in the field of life sciences," Huang said.