Deepening China–Arab Cooperation In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) To Build A New Health Silk Road

 

Abstract: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides a high-level international platform for the global outreach of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Systematically reviewing the historical record of mutual learning between Chinese medicine and Arab medicine along the ancient Silk Roads-as well as mapping the current, BRI-era cooperation between China and Arab countries in medical assistance, talent development, and the development of Chinese herbal medicines-is crucial for guiding future collaboration. To further deepen China–Arab cooperation, it is essential to consolidate the existing foundations of international partnership, expand collaboration areas in ways that fit local realities, and simultaneously improve the implementation and translation efficiency of research outcomes. These efforts can inject new momentum into the high-quality integration of TCM into the Belt and Road framework.
Keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); Arab countries; Belt and Road Initiative; cooperation

 

 

Arab countries sit at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, making them key partners in China's Belt and Road cooperation. To date, China has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with 21 Arab countries and the League of Arab States 111. TCM is a distinctive "calling card" of China's Belt and Road engagement-an invaluable heritage of ancient Chinese science and a key to understanding the broader treasury of Chinese civilization 222. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the role of TCM in advancing Belt and Road cooperation. The National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM), together with relevant national bodies, has issued a series of strategic plans, including the Development Plan of TCM under the Belt and Road Initiative (2016–2020) and the Development Plan for Promoting High-Quality Integration of TCM into Belt and Road Cooperation (2021–2025), to support high-quality development and international collaboration 3–43–43–4. On March 29, 2022, China's State Council General Office released the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explicitly calling for "accelerating TCM's opening-up" and "promoting high-quality integration of TCM into Belt and Road cooperation" 555.

 

 

This article reviews: (1) the history of mutual learning between Chinese medicine and Arab medicine along the ancient Silk Roads; (2) the current landscape of China–Arab cooperation in medical assistance, talent development, and herbal medicine development under the Belt and Road framework; (3) practical challenges that still exist; and (4) strategies to deepen cooperation. The aim is to provide reference points for building a "New Health Silk Road" and supporting the high-quality development of TCM collaboration between China and Arab countries (hereafter "China–Arab").

 

1. A History of Mutual Learning Between China and the Arab World Along the Ancient Silk Roads

Since ancient times, Arab countries have been important participants and builders of the Silk Roads. Historically, mutual learning between Chinese medicine and Arab medicine unfolded along these routes 666.

1.1 Mutual Learning Promoted the Integration of Chinese and Arab Medical Traditions

From the 1st to the 9th century CE, Chinese alchemical techniques were transmitted multiple times to the Arab world. During the Tang dynasty (7th–10th century CE), Arab merchants brought many Arab herbs to China. By the 10th century, Chinese pulse diagnosis had been adopted in Arab medical diagnostics. During the Song dynasties (mid-10th to 13th century CE), medicinal trade represented a significant share of Sino-Arab maritime commerce. Materials such as frankincense, myrrh, aloe, ambergris, musk, saffron, costus, and camphor entered China 777. In the Yuan dynasty (13th–14th century CE), the government established official institutions in Dadu (today's Beijing), including the "Huihui Medicine Institute" and a "Muslim Medical Bureau." In the Ming dynasty (14th–17th century CE), the Muslim Medical Bureau compiled and printed the Huihui Yaofang (Prescriptions of Huihui Medicine). The book includes 517 Muslim medicinal herbs and stands as a concrete example of the integration between Arab medicine and Chinese medicine.

 

1.2 Hui Medicine as a Distilled Legacy of China–Arab Medical Integration

Hui medicine in China is a product of China–Arab medical and cultural exchange. The Huihui Yaofang is regarded as a refined example of "East–West synthesis" in medicine 888. Through exchanges, Hui medicine drew on concepts such as the "Four Elements" theory in Arab medicine, supporting the formation and improvement of its theoretical system. Meanwhile, Sino-Arab maritime trade in valuable materials-such as rhinoceros horn and aromatic medicines-greatly enriched Hui clinical practice. For example, Suhexiang Pill was used for stroke-related conditions such as loss of consciousness, locked jaw, and hemiplegia.

 

2. Comprehensive TCM Cooperation Advancing China–Arab Health Development

On December 9, 2022, at the First China–Arab States Summit, President Xi Jinping proposed "Eight Joint Actions" for practical China–Arab cooperation, opening a new era of relations. Today, China and Arab countries have developed wide-ranging, multi-level cooperation across healthcare, education, science and technology, and culture-aiming to support health development through medical assistance, talent empowerment, and technology-driven innovation.

2.1 Medical Assistance as a Monument to China–Arab Friendship

China–Arab medical cooperation has largely taken the form of dispatching medical aid teams, sending professionals skilled in characteristic TCM techniques, and establishing medical centers in partner countries.

(1) Dispatching medical aid teams

Over the past 60 years, China has dispatched 30,000 medical team members (person-times) to 76 countries and regions, helped build more than 130 medical and health facilities, established paired cooperation mechanisms between 46 hospitals in 41 countries and regions, jointly built 25 clinical key specialty centers, and treated nearly 300 million patients 999.
China has sent medical aid teams to nine Arab member states: Algeria, Djibouti, Comoros, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, Yemen, and Kuwait. In 1963, China dispatched its first medical aid team to Algeria. 2023 marked both the 60th anniversary of China's overseas medical aid missions and the 60th anniversary of China's medical team dispatch to Arab countries. Over six decades, China sent 27 batches of medical teams and 3,522 medical staff (person-times) to Algeria, treating over 27 million patients and delivering more than 2.07 million newborns-building a powerful symbol of China–Arab friendship 101010.
Since China sent its first medical aid team to Morocco in 1975, China has dispatched a total of 200 batches of medical team members to Morocco, providing medical services to nearly 6 million people 111111. Among them, a team from the affiliated hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the only TCM-focused team; it has dispatched 10 rounds of volunteers and 152 team members (person-times), delivering acupuncture, tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage), and related care to more than one million patient visits.
The Guangdong artemisinin antimalarial team has sent 40 doctors to Comoros across more than 160 person-times, mobilizing over 2 million people to participate in mass medication campaigns in rural areas. This helped Comoros achieve a "miracle" of zero malaria deaths and a >90% reduction in cases 121212. Through skilled practice and strong professional ethics, generation after generation of medical aid workers have earned broad local recognition and built enduring bridges of friendship.

(2) Establishing medical centers

With deeper global engagement and innovation in foreign medical assistance models, China has established multiple centers in partner countries, including the China–Egypt TCM Center 131313, China–Algeria TCM Center 141414, Dubai Concord Medical Center 151515, China–Morocco TCM Center 161616, China–Egypt Acupuncture Center 171717, and the Hubei Provincial Hospital of TCM "Qi Ci" acupuncture technique demonstration and promotion base 181818.
The China–Algeria TCM Center provides, in a TCM outpatient model, nearly 20,000 consultations per year for local residents-covering acupuncture, tuina, rehabilitation, and orthopedics/traumatology-while offering internships and training sessions for local physicians and assistants. From 2019 to 2020, it trained nearly 300 physicians (person-times), and more than ten Algerian doctors obtained physician certification. Based on a disease spectrum where pain-related conditions are common, the aid team established the "Qi Ci" acupuncture technique demonstration base. This traditional needling method is relatively simple and has shown clear effects for pain relief, enabling more patients to benefit.

(3) Spreading characteristic techniques

Sending doctors skilled in distinctive TCM techniques to provide local services is another effective pathway. In 2016, China selected 15 medical staff members to provide TCM bee-venom therapy services in Oman. By June 2020, Chinese doctors had provided 1,677 bee-venom therapy treatments (person-times) to local patients 191919. Over time, this therapy attracted attention from Oman and neighboring countries, with patients from 13 countries-including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom-traveling to Oman for treatment, supporting the broader dissemination of TCM techniques.

2.2 Talent Development Building a Bridge of Cultural Exchange

As China's foreign medical assistance model has matured, the responsibilities of medical aid teams have become more diverse. Today's overseas medical professionals are not only clinicians but also educators and ambassadors for TCM and Chinese culture. China–Arab talent development cooperation has relied on medical aid teams, local universities, Confucius Institutes, and influential professional societies to deliver themed lectures, training programs, academic exchanges, and the establishment of education bases and libraries, as well as publishing activities-collectively strengthening human capital and building bridges of cultural exchange.

(1) Training programs

Medical aid teams actively use overseas platforms to run training activities and promote TCM culture. For example, the Chinese medical aid team in Algeria places strong emphasis on training local healthcare workers while providing services. It has held multiple acupuncture training programs, using mentorship and short lectures to improve local capacity, receiving positive evaluations from both China's health authorities and the partner government.
At the same time as experts "go out," China has also hosted TCM training programs in China, attracting participants from Arab countries for knowledge exchange and foundational skill training. In 2023, 14 trainees from Egypt, Algeria, Libya, and Jordan attended a two-week program at the Beijing International Acupuncture Training Center, studying the "Four Diagnostic Methods" and acupuncture indications for advantageous conditions. China has also leveraged online learning platforms: in 2021, China offered online TCM and rehabilitation courses for students at the School of Physical Therapy of the Egyptian Chinese University, enrolling more than 700 trainees 202020. These programs received strong praise from participants.

(2) Confucius Institutes

By June 2022, China had established 18 Confucius Institutes (with 2 under construction) and 2 independent Confucius Classrooms in 12 Arab countries 212121. Using these platforms, the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) has conducted high-level dialogues, academic exchanges, visits, practical demonstrations, wellness lectures, exhibitions, cultural performances, and free clinics-helping popularize and promote TCM culture.

(3) "Acupuncture Charm Tour" activities

Since 2010, WFAS has organized more than 30 "Belt and Road TCM Acupuncture Charm Tour" activities in Belt and Road countries, leveraging local universities and Confucius Institutes. These programs have been warmly welcomed by governments, local communities, and overseas Chinese, contributing to acupuncture's integration into global medical systems and to the vision of a shared future for global health. In September 2019, the tour visited Morocco, holding seminars, themed lectures, free clinics, exhibitions, and academic exchange activities at local Confucius Institutes 222222. The interactive consultation sessions were particularly popular, and many participants expressed strong interest in the perceived effects of acupuncture-fueling enthusiasm for cultural exchange around TCM.

(4) Multi-disciplinary talent training cooperation

Through comprehensive, multi-level cooperation, China and Arab partners have built bridges for cultural exchange. China has implemented measures to attract international students to study in China. Beijing's municipal education authorities created a "Belt and Road Scholarship" for international students. Beijing University of Chinese Medicine established scholarships for Belt and Road English-taught TCM programs 232323.
In North Africa, Arabic-language books on acupuncture, qigong, and tuina published by Dr. Tarek of Alexandria University in Egypt have served as learning materials for physicians, supporting the spread of acupuncture. In 2023, the China–Iran TCM acupuncture education base was established. Using acupuncture as a carrier, it actively promotes cooperation in traditional medicine and provides a platform for mutual learning between China and the Arab region.

2.3 Chinese Herbal Medicine Development Safeguarding Public Health

On September 4, 2020, Lianhua Qingwen capsules were approved and registered for market entry in Kuwait, becoming China's first proprietary Chinese medicine approved overseas for treating mild and ordinary types of COVID-19 242424. In March 2021, Huashi Baidu granules received their first overseas drug registration approval, entering the UAE market under an emergency registration mechanism and playing a meaningful role in global anti-pandemic efforts 252525.
In 2015, at the China–Arab Health Cooperation Forum, 7 hospitals from Arab countries and 12 hospitals from China agreed to jointly establish the "China–Arab Medical and Health Cooperation Development Alliance." In addition, initiatives such as the "China–Egypt Original Medicine Joint Laboratory" and the "China–Egypt TCM Joint Laboratory" have been actively planned 262626. Joint laboratories can provide a new platform for China–Arab institutions to collaborate on research, academic exchange, and technical information sharing, strengthening innovation in TCM and healthcare.

 

3. Working Together to Build a New Health Silk Road

In recent years, China and Arab partners have carried out comprehensive, multi-level cooperation in TCM and achieved notable progress. However, several practical challenges remain.

First, the content of cooperation still needs deeper exploration. At present, China–Arab cooperation is heavily centered on acupuncture. While recognition of acupuncture treatment protocols overseas continues to increase, there remains substantial room for collaboration in other TCM modalities-such as raw herbal materials, classical formulas, and modern proprietary Chinese medicines.

Second, research-including international standardization research in TCM-still needs a higher profile within China–Arab cooperation. The efficiency of implementing, applying, and translating research results remains insufficient.

The Belt and Road Initiative offers a high-level strategic platform for the global outreach of TCM. Looking forward, China's cooperation with Arab and other Belt and Road partners should leverage TCM's participation in Belt and Road collaboration: on the basis of consolidating existing cooperation, partners should expand into new fields tailored to local conditions, and improve the implementation and translation efficiency of research outcomes-injecting new momentum into building a New Health Silk Road.

3.1 Consolidate the Existing Foundations of International Cooperation

Building on overseas medical assistance, international TCM training, and international science and technology cooperation projects, China–Arab cooperation can be guided by technology collaboration, supported by talent development, and driven by multi-level medical assistance. This means strengthening exchanges among international academic organizations, medical centers, research institutes, and hospitals-thus consolidating the foundation of TCM international cooperation.
Concrete steps include: strengthening hospital-to-hospital partnerships; promoting two-way exchanges of medical staff through visiting programs, advanced training, and joint education; and emphasizing training in advanced medical technologies, traditional medicine, characteristic clinical techniques, and public health. Partners can also make full use of existing or planned China–Arab joint laboratories to expand scientific research cooperation and technical information exchange. Through pragmatic cooperation and joint progress, both sides can contribute to safeguarding human health.

3.2 Expand Cooperation Areas in Line with Local Realities

Across the 22 Arab countries and regions, religious beliefs, social customs, healthcare systems, and economic development levels vary significantly. Systematic analysis of traditional medicine policies and laws, herbal medicine regulations and supervision, market capacity, and the degree of public and professional acceptance of TCM will provide essential reference for targeted, locally adapted market entry and cooperation in Arab countries and regions.
For example, in parts of North Africa where living standards, economic development, and healthcare infrastructure may be relatively limited-and where infectious diseases such as malaria and HIV can be more prevalent-yet where desert medicinal plant resources are abundant 272727, cooperation can continue to prioritize medical assistance and support. Starting with training in TCM clinical techniques, partners can broaden the types of aid programs, and use diversified assistance to drive deeper cooperation in the development and utilization of medicinal plant resources-enhancing the international application level of TCM.
In higher-income countries and regions with more comprehensive welfare systems and more developed healthcare infrastructures, cooperation can leverage influential regional organizations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council to foster academic exchange and drive high-level joint R&D and technological innovation in traditional medicine. Through medical cooperation, talent empowerment, and technology enablement, both sides can jointly improve wellbeing and build a New Health Silk Road.

3.3 Improve the Implementation and Translation Efficiency of Research Outcomes

With demand as the guiding principle, partners should continue advancing research on international standardization of TCM and strategies for international implementation, so that research results can be applied and translated more efficiently-improving the global outreach effectiveness of TCM and addressing real clinical needs.
For example, building on overseas approvals of TCM products during the COVID-19 pandemic, partners can conduct research aligned with the standards of different Arab countries and regions; continue advancing international cooperation in preventing and controlling major infectious diseases such as COVID-19; and improve efficiency in international registration, approval, and real-world application of TCM products.

 

4. Conclusion

From the ancient Silk Roads to the modern Belt and Road Initiative, Arab countries have consistently been important partners in the international cooperation of TCM. In a new historical period, China and Arab partners should continue to uphold a spirit of mutual support, equality and mutual benefit, and inclusive mutual learning. With medical assistance, talent training, and Chinese herbal medicine R&D as key levers-grounded in people-to-people connectivity and shared aspirations-partners can: consolidate the existing foundations of cooperation, expand collaboration areas in locally appropriate ways, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance the implementation and translation efficiency of research results.
These efforts can promote high-quality integration of TCM into Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen the international influence of TCM culture, proactively respond to global threats and challenges, advance the vision of a shared future for global health, and safeguard human wellbeing.

 

References

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