The Department of International Cooperation and Department of Social Development co-hosted a meeting on International Traditional Chinese Medicine Program for Cooperation in Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as the TCM Program) on Oct. 20, 2006, aiming at encouraging enterprises to join the TCM Program and improve international competitiveness of the industry.

Jin Xiaoming, director general of International Cooperation attended the meeting and briefed the audience on the TCM Program. Officials from the Social Development Department introduced the major TCM projects in the 11th Five-Year Plan. The participants held in-depth discussions on the following issues:

-- how to break the barriers on the mainstream markets, such as in EU, U.S. and Southeast Asia; and

-- how to encourage enterprises to set international TCM standards with the help of the TCM Program.

They also put forward valuable suggestions as regard to how to concord available TCM resources and build a platform for international cooperation.