The 4th China (Bozhou)-RCEP Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Cooperation Conference was held in Bozhou, Anhui

China News Service, Bozhou, Anhui, September 9 (Jiang Wanqi) The 4th China (Bozhou)-RCEP Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Cooperation Conference was held in Bozhou, Anhui on the 9th. More than 40 foreign experts from Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia and other countries attended the meeting and started a dialogue around new opportunities for traditional Chinese medicine to go overseas under the framework of RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement).

"Malaysian consumers are very familiar with traditional Chinese medicine. Angelica should be chosen from Minxian, and astragalus should be chosen from Longxi. The reputation of these origins has been accumulated over the years." Datuk He Dejun, president of the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce for Chinese Medicines and Health Foods, revealed that members of the chamber purchase Chinese medicinal materials worth about MYR 50 million from China every year.

Du Quang Song, Agricultural Counselor of the Vietnamese Embassy in China, said that Vietnam has more than 5,100 species of medicinal plants, and its annual demand for medicinal materials is about 30,000 tons to 100,000 tons, 70% of which relies on imports. "This creates important opportunities for Chinese companies to export high-quality medicinal materials and invest in production and processing facilities in Vietnam." He said.

Duqin Sandawun, Economic Counselor of the Myanmar Embassy in China, sees room for cooperation in the industrial chain. “We look forward to allowing Myanmar’s medicinal products to steadily enter the global market through cooperation in processing technology and modern extraction technology,” she said.

"Not only does this place have a profound cultural heritage of traditional Chinese medicine and a good industrial foundation, it is also constantly extending into the fields of research and development, processing, brand building and general health." Liu Qiaoling, State Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia, said, "RCEP provides us with an important platform. The key next step is to promote enterprises to effectively integrate into each other's markets and connect resources and technologies more effectively."

So far, Bozhou City has established 15 overseas institutions and established 18 cooperative relationships in RCEP countries, driving 312 companies to carry out trade with RCEP countries. In the first seven months of 2026, Bozhou's import and export of traditional Chinese medicinal materials reached 525 million yuan, and its import and export proportion to RCEP member states has reached 61.9%.

Xu Ningning, chairman of the RCEP Industrial Cooperation Committee, said that RCEP regional trade grew steadily from January to August this year, and the dividends of multilateral cooperation continued to be released. "Traditional Chinese medicine is of great concern in Southeast Asia. We hope to use traditional Chinese medicine as a model to drive more key industries to establish international cooperation mechanisms."