2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Traditional Medicine Forum opens in Jiangxi, focusing on international cooperation

China News Service, Nanchang, September 17 (Reporters Wu Pengquan and Xiao Yudi) "Both Sri Lanka and China have precious and unique traditional medicine, and the two countries have great potential for cooperation in the fields of education and training, quality standards, and development of traditional medicines." Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Jagat Wickramaratna said in Jiangxi on the 17th.

On the same day, the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Traditional Medicine Forum opened in Ganjiang New District, Jiangxi. Guests from more than 20 countries and regions, including China, Sri Lanka, Belarus, Myanmar, and Indonesia, conducted exchanges focusing on international cooperation paths for traditional medicine.

Sri Lankan traditional medicine focuses on health maintenance, disease prevention, and personalized approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Jagat Wickramaratna said that for Sri Lanka, traditional medicine is not only a historical heritage, but also a valuable wealth of knowledge and experience. Sri Lanka is willing to strengthen international cooperation in traditional medicine. This forum has established an important platform, which will not only help Sri Lanka and China deepen cooperation, but also create cooperation opportunities for other countries.

Brilevich Igor Maksimovich, Vice Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, said that in recent years, Belarus and China have made remarkable achievements in cooperation in traditional medicine. The Belarus-China "Great Stone" Industrial Park is a model of friendly cooperation between the two countries, and its medical products and biotechnology industrial clusters are actively developing. He said that the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Belarus has been elevated to the national level, and Belarusian doctors have also gone to China for training and internship.

Ay Tun, Deputy Minister of Health of Myanmar, said that currently, the development of traditional medicine faces challenges such as the reduction of medicinal plant resources, climate change, insufficient investment in scientific research, and the supervision and safety systems that need to be improved. Faced with these problems, countries under the SCO framework should strengthen experience exchange and joint research and development, promote capacity building and improvement of standard systems in the field of traditional medicine, and contribute to the development of global health. Myanmar also looks forward to close cooperation with other countries in the fields of standard setting, medicinal plant protection, and research and development of traditional medicinal products.

With the theme of "Intelligence of traditional medicine to jointly build people's health", this forum is co-sponsored by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Committee and the Jiangxi Provincial People's Government. It arranges an opening ceremony, special activities and branch inspections. The site also has three major exhibition areas for traditional medicine exchange and cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries, traditional medicine and intelligent innovation experience, and traditional Chinese medicine industry.