Exchanges and discussions on the integration and cooperation in the sector of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) took the center stage at the 2026 Cross-Strait Symposium on Cooperation and Development of TCM held in Xiamen City of east China's Fujian Province on Saturday.

At the symposium, which was part of the 18th Straits Forum, representatives from TCM sectors on both sides of the Taiwan Strait engaged in exchanges and discussions aimed at deepening integration in areas such as mutual recognition of standards and industrial collaboration.

"Taiwan has a strong pharmaceutical industry, but most of its TCM materials are from provinces on the Chinese mainland. The Chinese mainland, Taiwan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Macao Special Administrative Region all have their standards for TCM materials. Through these exchanges, I have come to understand the importance of these standards," said Lee Wei-Chu, an official of the TCM research and development foundation in Taiwan.

"Relevant management in Taiwan is more meticulous than that on the Chinese mainland, and we have also learned a lot from the rigorous academic attitude and scientific research style in Taiwan. The Chinese mainland's innovation is worth learning from, such as AI empowerment of TCM development in our times, as well as relevant informatization and application of smart technologies," said Cai Chengfu, Party secretary of Xiamen Hospital of TCM.