Traditional Chinese medicine industries across the Taiwan Strait should work together to prevent disease and cure sickness, Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) told a forum in Taipei yesterday.
Speaking at an event held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Republic of China Chinese Medicine Association, Wu said the previously conflicting sides of the Strait were now on a path of peaceful cooperation and development, which formulated the basis for bilateral cooperation in traditional medicine.
Wu pointed to the 18 accords that Taipei has signed with the Chinese government since 2008, from the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and guarantees on intellectual property and investment, to cooperation on traditional medicine.
“The latter is an accord under which both sides of the Strait will aim to work together within the parameters of the field of traditional medicine,” Wu said.
As the originator of Chinese traditional medicine and with its vast territory, China is a great source of medicinal ingredients, Wu said, adding that Taiwan had made its contribution to the field through its advanced research on medicinal theory and practice.
Both nations could greatly benefit if they worked together in this area, the vice president said.
Furthermore, from an economic viewpoint, cross-strait cooperation would also enable traditional medicine institutions from both sides to reap better profits, he added.
Wu said that if the Chinese and Taiwanese traditional medicine industries pooled their resources and worked together in undertaking and funding innovative research, they would create a plethora of medicinal knowledge that would undoubtedly be a valuable asset for both nations.
The event was important for the association because it was an affirmation of how much Chinese medicine has contributed to the well-being of humanity in the past six decades, Wu said.
Traditional medicine is an important part of Taiwanese culture and this is reflected in the strength of Taiwan’s medicinal industry, Wu said, adding that he hoped everyone would continue to work hard to improve and innovate in the traditional medicine field.
Meanwhile, the government announced that the nation’s top negotiator with China has organized two trips across the Strait next month to address the education problems faced by children of Taiwanese businesspeople based in China.
Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森), who took over the lead of the semi-official organization in September, said that on his second official trip, he would visit schools attended by Taiwanese children whose parents are based in Nanjing, Kunshan and Shanghai.
Lin said he and a group of officials from the Taiwanese Ministry of Education would meet to discuss educational issues with Taiwanese businesspeople in China.
The delegation is also to attend several ceremonies in Quanzhou and Xiamen in which new presidents of Taiwanese business associations would be inducted.
Regarding the follow-up to the cross-strait trade pact, Lin said he hopes to include trade in services into the umbrella of the ECFA as soon as possible.
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