TCM exports up as local firms ride B&R Initiative

Traditional Chinese medicine or TCM exports are rising on the back of resilient demand from traditional markets and as the Belt and Road Initiative stimulates new demand in participating countries and regions.

China exported 358,000 tons of TCM in the form of patented drugs, extracts, and raw materials in 2017, up 0.7 percent year-on-year. Export value was $3.6 billion, up 2.1 percent, according to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicine and Health Products.

"Southeast Asian countries have a tradition of using TCM, and international demand is rising driven by the Belt and Road Initiative," said Yu Zhibin, director of the TCM department at the chamber.