Traditional Chinese medicine to promote close ties between China and Pakistan
by Cheng Xizhong
Editor's note: The writer is a visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, senior fellow of the Charhar Institute, and former Defense Attache in South Asian countries. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of Gwadar Pro.
According to a report by Pakistani media “Daily Times” on January 24，Sino-Pakistan Cooperation Center on Traditional Chinese Medicine (SPCCTCM) was launched respectively in Hunan University of Medicine in Huaihua, China and the University of Karachi in Pakistan on Thursday.
In December last year, with the approval of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China, China-Pakistan Traditional Chinese Medicine Center was established in Huaihua, China.
The two sides will build an international cooperation center oriented by the international registration of traditional Chinese medicine products, integrating medical care, education and training, scientific research, industrial cooperation and cultural exchange through the implementation of measures such as the construction of center facilities, project research, academic exchange and personnel training.
Traditional Chinese medicine is the precious wealth of China’s excellent traditional culture. The official launch of SPCCTCM will have a positive and far-reaching impact on promoting the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine industry in the two countries. Based on this international platform, the two sides can strengthen communication, personnel exchanges and scientific and technological cooperation, delve into research and application of relevant pathology and treatment technologies, and better promote mutual learning and advantage complementation of traditional Chinese medicine between China and Pakistan.
Medical exchanges between China and Pakistan started very early. In the 1970s, the Pakistani government sent doctors to China to study acupuncture and other traditional Chinese medicine treatment methods. In the1990s, China dispatched a group of experts and doctors to Pakistan to promote Chinese traditional medicine culture and explore bilateral cooperation. Since the beginning of this century, with the increasing popularity of Chinese medicine culture in the world, Chinese medicine treatment has also been widely recognized by the Pakistani people and government.
Traditional Chinese medicine and its treatment have good curative effect on some popular acute diseases and epidemics in Pakistan. Pakistan has a high incidence of malaria. In recent years, artemisinin and other effective antimalarial Chinese patent medicines have been introduced in Pakistan, which has solved the big problem that plagued the local patients for a long time. Chinese patent medicine also has significant preventive and therapeutic effects on dengue fever, typhoid and other acute diseases. In addition, Chinese herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine treatment have good curative effect on the frequently occurring heart diseases and urinary system diseases, and are widely welcomed by the people of Pakistan.
With the continuous advancement of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction, the influence of traditional Chinese medicine is growing very fast in Pakistan, and it has become an important driving force to promote the close ties between the cultures and the peoples of China and Pakistan.
（Editor:Liao Yifan）
