Chinese medicinal materials go global, multiple parties join forces to boost exports
Not long ago, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the "Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road" (abbreviated as "Vision and Actions"). In the implementation of the "Vision and Actions", Chinese medicinal materials will usher in unprecedented development opportunities. However, for Chinese medicinal materials to smoothly go global, they still face technical obstacles, trade barriers brought about by high standards and other thresholds. So, how can these obstacles be resolved so that traditional Chinese medicine can go global?
Technical obstacles exist in overseas trade of Chinese medicinal materials
Yu Zhibin, director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, told the author that from a global perspective, in Western countries, Western medicine is the mainstream, while traditional Chinese medicine is positioned as traditional medicine and is very difficult to establish a foothold in the West. At present, the registration of traditional Chinese medicine is restricted in the European Union and the United States, and at the legal level, the status of traditional Chinese medicine has not been recognized in these countries. Kang Shumin, marketing manager of Liaoning Benxi Xiancaotang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., also said that the content requirements for Western medicine differ from those for traditional Chinese medicine. In Western medicine, the gram amount of each ingredient in every medicine is fixed. But in terms of gram amounts, the ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine are relatively complex, the medicines interact with one another, and the content is uncertain, making it very difficult to meet foreign standards.
Overseas high standards form trade barriers
In recent years, international requirements for heavy metals and pesticide residues have become increasingly strict, which has also created major obstacles for the export of traditional Chinese medicine. In the export process of Chinese medicinal materials, countries along the "Belt and Road" not only have high-standard requirements for the heavy metal content of Chinese medicinal materials, but also have very high standards for the medicinal properties of Chinese medicinal materials, which likewise hinders the export trade of Chinese medicinal materials. Si Fuchun, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Science and Technology Achievement Promotion Center of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told the author that foreign countries have strict quality inspection standards for the import of traditional Chinese medicine, some even close to harsh, and many countries have numerous taboos regarding the ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine. Various technical regulations make the registration and certification of traditional Chinese medicine difficult. In essence, when traditional Chinese medicine uses the toxicity of drugs for treatment, it controls the dosage based on existing experience and achieves safety and reliability at the technical level in order to treat diseases.
Deepen understanding to eliminate technical obstacles
"Eliminating technical obstacles requires not only communication at a higher government level, but also the widespread dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine culture, so that people in countries along the 'Belt and Road' recognize traditional Chinese medicine culture and thereby recognize traditional Chinese medicine products," said Yu Zhibin.
Si Fuchun believes that eliminating technical obstacles requires traditional Chinese medicine itself to make certain changes. First, modernize the language of traditional Chinese medicine, deepen the West's understanding of the connotations of traditional Chinese medicine, and strive to eliminate obstacles caused by cultural differences. Second, the state needs to do a good job in standardizing and digitizing the ingredients and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine, formulate new standards for extracting active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine, build a modern digital advanced manufacturing platform for traditional Chinese medicine that meets international standards and is leading domestically, upgrade domestic standards to international standards, and make them modern products that meet market demand.
Multiple parties join forces to break through barriers
To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. The high standards of foreign countries for China's exported Chinese medicinal materials and Chinese patent medicines certainly create trade barriers, but at the same time they also force Chinese medicine enterprises in our country to improve the quality of Chinese medicinal materials and Chinese patent medicines.
Si Fuchun suggests that, in light of the quality conditions of various specialized markets for Chinese medicinal materials, the state carry out pilot demonstrations of third-party inspection regions for Chinese medicinal materials, focusing on funding the laboratory construction, technology and service capacity cultivation, and talent introduction and training of a group of third-party inspection institutions, so as to form a group of science and technology service enterprises with professional service capabilities for testing Chinese medicinal materials. At the same time, promote the research and application of technical standards for Chinese medicinal materials, and improve the quality control standards system for Chinese medicinal materials in links such as planting, processing and circulation.