Secretary for Health attends World Conference on Traditional Medicine 2026 in Beijing (with photos)

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to participate in the World Conference on Traditional Medicine 2026 kept in Beijing today (October 17) to have extensive conversations and exchanges with senior health authorities from around the globe, along with professionals and academics in the standard medication field on concerns associated with conventional medication, consisting of legislation, policy and guideline, clinical research study, skill growing, empowerment of expert system, along with promo of combination of standard medication into health care service systems.

The conference is collectively arranged by the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, the National Health Commission (NHC), the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in cooperation with the World Health Organization. At the opening event, Professor Lo listened to Premier Li Qiang’s keynote speech. Speaking at the panel conversations of the conventional medication federal government online forum, Professor Lo showed guests the tactical instructions for incorporating Chinese medication (CM) into the health care system in Hong Kong.

Teacher Lo stated, “CM is a treasure of Chinese civilisation. The National 15th Five-Year Plan stresses the promo of CM heritage and development. It likewise clearly requires enhancing the CM service system, improving main care-level CM services, and establishing incorporated Chinese-Western medication services. To totally line up with the nation’s vision, the Chief Executive specifically explained in the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (2026-2030) (Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan) and the 2026 Policy Address revealed last month that Hong Kong will promote extensive, premium, and high-standard advancement of CM, thus making sure Hong Kong effortlessly lines up with the nationwide advancement method of constructing a ‘Healthy China’.

“The HKSAR Government will step up efforts to promote the development of CM. Through the two flagship institutions, The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute, Hong Kong will strive to promote pure CM and integrated Chinese-Western medicine services as the ‘Hong Kong model’ in the modern healthcare system. Furthermore, by further advancing local integrated Chinese and Western medicine services and CM talent cultivation, fostering international research collaboration in herb-drug interaction, and establishing rigorous quality standards for Chinese herbal medicines, Hong Kong will fully leverage our role as a bridgehead to provide a high-standard reference model for the world,” he included.

Throughout the conference, Professor Lo and his delegation met Vice Minister of the NHC Mr Zheng Zhe, and the Commissioner of the NMPA, Mr Huang Guo, respectively to present to them the healthcare-related policies in Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address.

Teacher Lo stated to Mr Zheng, “With our high-quality healthcare professionals and highly efficient healthcare system, Hong Kong boasts a number of world-leading health indicators, and is among the regions with the longest life expectancies in the world. Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan is interconnected with the National 15th Five-Year Plan. In line with the strategic initiative of accelerating the building of a ‘Healthy China’ of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan proposes deepening healthcare system reform, advancing the high-quality development of primary healthcare, and enhancing the resilience of Hong Kong’s healthcare services, thereby building a healthy and vibrant Hong Kong with concerted efforts.”

He likewise stated, “Building a ‘Healthy China’ is a major national strategy. In an important speech delivered at the recently convened National Meeting on Health, President Xi Jinping emphasised that the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan is a crucial moment of achieving the goal of building a ‘Healthy China’ by 2035. To build a balanced, inclusive, high-quality and efficient ‘Healthy China’, it is necessary to possess six core capabilities in health management, disease prevention and control, healthcare services, health insurance support, health and medical innovation, and talent cultivation. In active alignment with this initiative, the HKSAR Government will advance Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan, upholding the principle of prevention first and a health-centred approach to deepen healthcare system reform, develop an international health and medical innovation hub, leverage the role as a ‘super connector’ in healthcare and build a healthy and vibrant Hong Kong with concerted efforts, hence better integrating into and serving the overall development of a ‘Healthy China’.”

Throughout the conference with Mr Huang, Professor Lo supplied him with information on the current development of the facility of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR), consisting of the facility of the CMPR by the end of this year, the consultation of Mr Li Zili as the Controller for Medical Products Regulation, and the application for accession as a member of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use. The CMPR will gradually develop a robust drug approval system, going for the complete execution of “primary evaluation” system for brand-new drug registration by 2030, therefore ending up being a worldwide acknowledged regulative authority for medical items.

Members of the Hong Kong delegation consist of the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, and the Controller-designate for Medical Products Regulation, Mr Li Zili, in addition to agents of the Health Bureau, the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority. The Hospital Chief Executive of CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, likewise signed up with the delegation for the conference.

Members of the Hong Kong delegation will continue to participate in the conference tomorrow (October 18). Teacher Lo will take part in the top-level federal government online forum: “Belt and Road Traditional Chinese Medicine Development Conference (Ministerial Level) Roundtable Dialogue” at the conference. An agent of the DH will likewise share the current development relating to the policy of Chinese medications throughout the parallel session of the conference. Teacher Lo and his delegation will go back to Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon (October 18).

Ends/Saturday, October 17, 2026

Released at HKT 16:30

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