There are still many ways to break down the barriers for traditional Chinese medicine to go abroad.

In the ancient Silk Road, Chinese medicine has made outstanding contributions to the spread of Chinese culture and relieved the suffering of diseases for the people of the countries along the route.

Not long ago, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the Vision and Action for promoting the Joint Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (Vision and Action for short). In the implementation of the Vision and Action, traditional Chinese medicine will regain its former glory, play a new role and usher in unprecedented development opportunities.

However, if Chinese herbal medicines want to go abroad smoothly, they are still faced with technical obstacles and trade barriers brought about by high standards. So, how to solve these obstacles and make traditional Chinese medicine go to the world with the help of "Belt and Road Initiative"?

Technical obstacles in overseas Trade of traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials

Yu Zhibin, director of the traditional Chinese Medicine Department of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Medical and Health products, told reporters that from a global point of view, Western medicine is the mainstream in western countries, and the positioning of traditional Chinese medicine is traditional medicine, which is difficult to gain a foothold in the West. At present, the registration of traditional Chinese medicine in the European Union and the United States is restricted. At the legal level, the identity of traditional Chinese medicine has not been recognized in these countries.

To investigate the reason, Si Fuchun, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and director of the Science and Technology Achievement Popularization Center of Henan College of traditional Chinese Medicine, believes that this is because traditional Chinese medicine pays attention to syndrome differentiation and treatment, compound formula, while western medicine pays attention to directional locking, using the method of analysis and centralized treatment. Western medicine pays attention to quantitative research, while traditional Chinese medicine can not clearly explain the composition, which makes it difficult to get effective understanding and application of traditional Chinese medicine culture, hovering in the marginal state overseas for a long time, and difficult to enter the mainstream medical market.

Kang Shumin, marketing manager of Liaoning Benxi Xiancaotang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. also told reporters that the content requirements of western medicine are different from those of traditional Chinese medicine, and the number of grams of ingredients in each medicine is limited. For example, paracetamol containing acetaminophen tablets, Western medicine standard requires that each piece of paracetamol contains 0.25 milligrams of acetaminophen tablets, then each piece of paracetamol acetaminophen tablets must be that number. However, in terms of grams, the components of traditional Chinese medicine are more complex, traditional Chinese medicine interact with each other, and the content is uncertain, so it is difficult to meet foreign standards.

High overseas standards form trade barriers

In recent years, the international requirements for heavy metals and pesticide residues have become more stringent, which has also caused great obstacles to the export of traditional Chinese medicine.

Yu Zhibin revealed that from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine commodities themselves, Japan and South Korea are using high standards of heavy metal content requirements, restricting the export of Chinese herbal medicines. Moreover, some unofficial Greenpeace organizations and animal protection organizations are also using the pretext of destroying nature and killing endangered animals to influence and restrict the export of traditional Chinese medicine and set up barriers for the export of traditional Chinese medicine.

In the process of the export of Chinese medicinal materials, the countries along the "Belt and Road Initiative" route not only have high requirements for the content of heavy metals in Chinese medicinal materials, but also have high standards in the medicinal properties of Chinese medicinal materials, which also hinders the export trade of traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

Si Fuchun told reporters that foreign countries have strict quality inspection standards for the import of traditional Chinese medicine, and some are even almost harsh. Many countries have many taboos on the ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, and various technical regulations make it difficult to register and certify traditional Chinese medicine. In essence, traditional Chinese medicine in the use of drug toxicity for treatment, is based on the existing experience to control the dosage, technically safe and reliable, to treat diseases. For example, realgar contains mercury, mercury itself is toxic, but the right amount of mercury can effectively treat diseases. But in this case, from the point of view of western medicine, realgar is toxic in chemical composition and sets up obstacles according to the rules.

Deepen understanding and eliminate technical obstacles

"to remove technical obstacles and make countries along 'Belt and Road Initiative' identify with traditional Chinese medicine, we not only need to communicate at a higher government level, but also need to widely spread the culture of traditional Chinese medicine, so that people in countries along 'Belt and Road Initiative' can identify with traditional Chinese medicine culture. and then identify with traditional Chinese medicine products," Yu Zhibin said. "when removing technical barriers, we can not only rely on verbal persuasion, but also need traditional Chinese medicine to have a practical effect. Let those who have tried to relieve the pain. "

Si Fuchun believes that the elimination of technical barriers requires certain changes in traditional Chinese medicine itself. first, the language of traditional Chinese medicine is modernized, so that scientists and doctors in different fields in the West can read and understand traditional Chinese medicine, deepen the West's understanding of the connotation of traditional Chinese medicine, and strive to eliminate barriers of cultural differences. Second, the country needs to do a good job in the standardization and digitization of the ingredients and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine, formulate new standards for the extraction of effective components of traditional Chinese medicine, and build a leading digital advanced manufacturing platform for modern traditional Chinese medicine that meets the requirements of international standards. upgrade domestic standards to international standards to make them modern products that meet the needs of the market.

Multi-parties work together to break through barriers

It takes a good blacksmith to make good steel. the high standard of foreign exports of traditional Chinese medicine and proprietary Chinese medicine to China, of course, creates trade barriers, but at the same time, it also forces our traditional Chinese medicine enterprises to improve the quality of traditional Chinese medicine and proprietary Chinese medicine. "if you want to go to the world with the help of Belt and Road Initiative, in addition to preferential and favorable policies, enterprises also need to do a good job in a down-to-earth manner and strengthen quality management. The products produced are very effective. The products that go out are all high-quality products," Kang Shumin said. "when enterprises lay a solid foundation and encounter development opportunities, they can successfully break through barriers and quickly let products go out."

To break through the foreign high-standard trade barriers to traditional Chinese medicine, in addition to the need for enterprises to do a good job in quality management, the state also needs to formulate some policies to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine to international standards, so that it can better enter the pharmaceutical market of countries along the "Belt and Road Initiative" route.

Si Fuchun suggested that in the light of the quality of various professional markets of traditional Chinese medicine, the state should carry out a regional pilot demonstration of the third-party inspection of traditional Chinese medicine, focusing on subsidizing the laboratory construction, technical and service capacity cultivation, and personnel introduction and training of a number of third-party inspection institutions, so as to form a number of scientific and technological service enterprises with professional service capabilities for the testing of traditional Chinese medicine. At the same time, promote the research and application of technical standards of traditional Chinese medicine, and improve the quality control standard system of traditional Chinese medicine in planting, processing, circulation and other links.