Li Qiang's speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Congress of Traditional Medicine (full text)

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 17

Speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Congress of Traditional Medicine

(October 17, 2026, Beijing)

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang

Dear guests,

Ladies and gentlemen, friends:

It is a great pleasure to gather with you all in Beijing to attend the 2026 World Congress of Traditional Medicine. On behalf of the Chinese government, I would like to express warm congratulations on the convening of the conference! I sincerely welcome all friends to come!

In five days’ time, the annual “World Traditional Medicine Day” will be celebrated. As President Xi Jinping pointed out in his congratulatory letter to the 2024 World Congress of Traditional Medicine, traditional medicine is the result of human civilization and needs to be protected and passed down from generation to generation. It also needs to keep pace with the times and keep innovation. In today's era, how should traditional medicine with a long history adapt to the requirements of the new situation and better play its role? I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some experiences and thoughts based on the development practice of traditional Chinese medicine.

1. Traditional medicine is a unique force that protects human health and promotes the progress of civilization.

Traditional medicine comes from thousands of years of production and life practice. It is the crystallization of wisdom accumulated by humans in fighting against diseases and coexisting with nature. After long-term development, the connotation of traditional medicine continues to be enriched, and its functions and missions are increasingly expanded.

First, traditional medicine is an important magic weapon to protect life and health. Historically, different traditional medicine systems have adapted to local conditions and demonstrated their strengths, effectively helping humans resolve illnesses and writing a colorful chapter in the process of global health. To this day, traditional medicine still uses unique diagnostic and treatment thinking and methods to complement and learn from the advantages of modern medicine to jointly protect human health and well-being.

Second, traditional medicine is an important carrier for inheriting diverse civilizations. Every traditional medicine system carries the humanistic spirit and cultural genes of a nation. Through numerous medical classics, prescriptions, diagnosis and treatment techniques, etc., we can feel the unique understanding and thinking of different civilizations on the relationship between life, nature, man and society. These precious spiritual heritages are passed down from generation to generation, and together they paint a colorful picture of civilization.

Thirdly, traditional medicine is an important link to enhance friendship between countries. Exchanges and cooperation in the field of traditional medicine are not only a discussion of skills, but also a blend of concepts. From the mutual trade of medicinal materials on the ancient Silk Road, to the preservation and integration of ancient medicines by the Arab translation movement, to the joint scientific research of traditional medicine circles in various countries in recent years, these exchanges and cooperation have not only improved the level of medicine, but also deepened mutual understanding and promoted people-to-people bonds.

2. China’s traditional medicine has developed a unique development path in long-term practice

Traditional Chinese medicine is what we are used to calling traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine is the treasure of Chinese civilization and an outstanding representative of traditional medicine in the world. The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the development of traditional Chinese medicine, insisting on paying equal attention to traditional Chinese and Western medicine and promoting the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. It has built the world's largest traditional medicine system and established a complete system for the coordinated development of inheritance, scientific research, industry, and talents. The valuable experience accumulated in the development of traditional Chinese medicine has provided useful reference for the development of traditional medicine in the world.

First, adhere to integrity and innovation, and discover and make good use of the treasure house of traditional Chinese medicine. In the long course of development, traditional Chinese medicine has formed a large number of medical classics such as the "Compendium of Materia Medica", which contains extensive and profound theories and ideas. We not only inherit classic medical theories and prescription techniques, adhere to the "root" and "soul" of traditional Chinese medicine, but also use modern technology to promote the creative transformation and innovative application of traditional Chinese medicine. China has established a multi-level TCM science and technology innovation system framework, continuously produces high-quality research results, and achieved remarkable results in the treatment of difficult diseases and response to major epidemics. Ancient Chinese medicine is taking on new vitality.

The second is to strengthen policy support and promote the unique advantages of traditional Chinese medicine. We give full play to the comprehensive advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in maintaining health, especially in the prevention of disease, syndrome differentiation, and overall adjustment. We focus on making good use of the distinctive feature of "simple and honest verification" of traditional Chinese medicine. We make institutional arrangements in the legal and administrative aspects, increase resource guarantees and policy support, and actively promote the widespread application of traditional Chinese medicine in medical institutions at all levels and various diagnosis and treatment scenarios. At present, TCM medical institutions account for about 1/10 of the total number of medical institutions in my country. Almost all medical institutions can provide TCM services. TCM has played a unique role in maintaining people's health.

The third is to focus on being inclusive and promote mutual learning of traditional Chinese medicine. We develop traditional Chinese medicine with an open mind and vision, pay more attention to learning from others' strengths, learn from advanced concepts and diagnostic and treatment techniques of excellent traditional medicine from various countries, implement the "New Era Shen Nong Tastes Hundreds of Herbs" action, and continuously enrich our own theory and practice system. At the same time, we will increase the opening of the traditional Chinese medicine market and welcome foreign companies to invest and cooperate in China to promote technological innovation and industrial upgrading of traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine is now a more open and practical diagnosis and treatment system, spreading to 196 countries and regions, and continues to benefit people all over the world.

3. Focus on the challenges of the times and jointly promote the new development of traditional medicine

Currently, the global population is aging, the pressure on chronic disease prevention and control is rising, and the risk of emerging infectious diseases continues to exist. The unique value of traditional medicine has become increasingly prominent. The international community should strengthen collaboration, further integrate and make good use of the world's traditional medicine resources, and jointly respond to challenges facing human health.

First, we need to strengthen technological empowerment and accelerate the innovative development of traditional medicine. Scientific and technological progress has opened up new space for the development of traditional medicine. We must promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence, modern biomedicine, etc. with traditional medicine, use new technologies to explore the value of ancient prescriptions, optimize diagnosis and treatment plans, and transform traditional medicine from "experience-based learning" to "scientific learning" and from "ancient heritage" to "modern prescriptions." Not long ago, China issued the "15th Five-Year Plan for the Revitalization and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine", which regarded the digital and intelligent transformation of traditional Chinese medicine as an important task. We encourage and support the active participation of Chinese and foreign scientific research institutions and enterprises in jointly building an open and collaborative international scientific and technological innovation system for traditional Chinese medicine.

The second is to in-depth exchanges and cooperation to gather synergy for the development of traditional medicine. Only by allowing various traditional medicine systems to move from the local to the world and make common progress through exchanges and mutual learning can they gather greater effectiveness and create greater value. We should build a more open platform for dialogue and cooperation on traditional medicine, promote policy interoperability, market interconnection, and mutual recognition of qualifications among countries, improve the international industrial chain, and provide a good environment for the development of global traditional medicine. China will continue to expand the pilot program of opening up medical services, and is willing to work with all parties to promote the construction of the "Belt and Road" medicinal resource conservation center. On the basis of strengthening property rights protection, we will deepen mutual learning and mutual learning of traditional medicine knowledge and experience, and continue to strengthen our ability to respond to common challenges.

The third is to promote universal benefit sharing and better promote global health equity. Only by adhering to the direction of inclusiveness and strengthening the protection of rules can the development of traditional medicine be stable and long-term. We should join hands to build a community of human health, promote the implementation of the World Health Organization's global traditional medicine strategy for 2025-2034, promote the integration of traditional medicine into the health systems of various countries according to local conditions, and strengthen support and assistance to developing countries. China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities within its capabilities and contribute to bridging the global health gap.

Ladies and gentlemen, friends, most of the guests present today are engaged in medical and health work. Chinese people often talk about the benevolence of doctors. In ancient China, there was a saying that doctors would hang a pot to help the world. A person who protects health and life must be a person with deep feelings, caring about his family, country and even the world. I believe that many of our friends here are not only concerned about health care, but also care about the common development of the world. When people are sick, they need to be treated. When problems and difficulties arise in the development of the world, they also need to be managed. The global governance initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping is a good antidote to the various chaos in the world today. From the perspective of the global economy, many problems such as sluggish growth, increasing differentiation, and increasing barriers also require diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Although we should not expect to find perfect solutions to current problems from history and tradition, we should undoubtedly focus on drawing wisdom and inspiration from them. When treating diseases, traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes a holistic view and a harmonious view, emphasizing systematic treatment and consolidating the roots. Isn’t this the case with economic governance? All countries in the world are an organic whole. No country can be immune to it, and no model can cure all diseases. Therefore, we should be more tolerant and conciliatory, less obsessed with zero-sum games, more responsible for helping each other, and less beggar-thy-neighbor short-sighted. Only in this way can the world economy regain health and vitality, and human society be more peaceful and beautiful.

Medicines are ancient and modern, and the Tao is the same. The more the situation changes, the more we must stick to the right path. We call on doctors to view the world with benevolence, seek development based on symbiosis, and work together to protect human health and the prosperity of the world!

Thank you all.