Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday called on the international community to strengthen cooperation, make better use of the world's traditional medicine resources, and jointly address challenges to human health.

For three grueling months, even simple movements brought pain to Dr. Hetty Helen's hand. As a physician at Indonesia's Rumah Sakit Pusat Pertahanan Negara (RSPPN) Soedirman, her relief finally came from an unexpected source: the hands of a Chinese traditional medicine practitioner.

Guests from home and abroad have gathered together to experience and feel the charm of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) during World Conference on Traditional Medicine 2026 and the Beijing International Traditional Healthcare Exhibition, which kicked off here on Saturday and Friday respectively.

Artificial intelligence is now being widely applied to enhance traditional medicine, making it more accessible, standardized and research-based, according to a report released on Sunday on the sidelines of the 2026 World Conference on Traditional Medicine in Beijing.

Traditional Chinese medicine is accelerating its global outreach, with the value and benefits of TCM gaining broader recognition worldwide, as China continues to step up international cooperation — from organizing training programs to sending medical teams overseas.

The fall session of the twice-yearly China Import and Export Fair, better known as the Canton Fair, has introduced an international medical services zone for the first time, giving Chinese hospitals a new platform to court overseas patients as the number of foreigners traveling to China for treatment grows.

Singapore is taking encouraging steps towards closer collaboration between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners and family doctors. But successful integration requires more than professional goodwill. It requires clarity about what happens when patients move between providers.

Hong Kong’s Department of Health has developed rapid DNA detection methods to analyse the authenticity of Chinese medicines.