The governments of China and France signed a landmark
cooperative treaty in Beijing Thursday to set new standards for
traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and enrich the modern medical
warchest for fighting AIDS and cancer.
The two countries will cooperate in academic and clinical TCM
research, setting new standards for TCM products in line with
western medical practice and developing new TCM products, said the
document signed by Health Minister Gao Qiang and French Foreign
Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.
"TCM is useful for treating cancers, AIDS and other serious
diseases, and is indispensable in disease prevention, health care,
treatment and recovery," Gao said.
TCM, considered an alternative medicine in many Western
countries, has attracted many foreign patients because of its
ability to alleviate AIDS and cancer symptoms and improve their
life quality. It has millions of followers in China because of its
effectiveness and its low cost compared with Western medicines.
Douste-Blazy said that France is ready to use its expertise in
modern medicine to make TCM safer, more effective and to bring it
into line with modern medical practices. France has had a total of
47 Nobel laureates, 8 of whom are in the medical field.
China has now signed 26 cooperative agreements on TCM with
foreign countries or international medical organizations, and more
than 70 medical treaties with foreign countries including
cooperation on TCM.
TCM, which has a 3,000-year history, has a unique system for
diagnosing and curing illness, fundamentally different from that of
Western medicine. Typical TCM therapies include acupuncture, herbal
medicine and Qigong exercises.
(Xinhua News Agency March 2, 2007)
