A research center was established Aug 28 in Hengqin to overcome policy, technological difficulties, and bottlenecks concerning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) enterprises in the Greater Bay Area.

Xu Jinghe, deputy head of the National Medical Products Administration, urged the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao TCM Policy & Technology Research Center to further strengthen scientific supervision of TCM. This, he said, refers to but is distinguished from that of chemical drugs, and he advised that policy and technology should support TCM inheritance and innovation.

Plaque unveiling [Photo provided to Guanhai App]

Xu extended hopes that the center would improve the industrial-academic-research industrial chain, provide intellectual support for Macao's TCM industry, and strongly support standardization and internationalization.

After years in development, the TCM Science & Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation Between Guangdong & Macao in which the center is based has gained certain software and hardware advantages, innovation-driven sources, and industrial development conditions, especially in integrated industrial-academic-research. These are sufficient to forge a relatively complete and mature industrial chain, according to Yuki Lu Hong, chairwoman of the park.

As of August, the TCM park, which opened in September 2017, was home to 189 enterprises engaged in TCM, healthcare products, medical equipment and services, and biomedicine, while having incubated 44 Macao enterprises. It was recognized by the Ministry of Science & Technology last year as a National Science & Technology Enterprise Incubator.

The research center is operated by the Guangdong Medical Products Administration, Southern Medicine Economic Research Institute of NMPA, and TCM Science & Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation Between Guangdong & Macao.