The 6th China-ASEAN Forum on Traditional Medicine takes place in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Nov 25. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 6th China-ASEAN Forum on Traditional Medicine, which was one of the six sub-forums of the 3rd China-ASEAN Forum on Health Cooperation towards a Health Silk Road, took place in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Nov 25.

The forum was jointly held by the National Health Commission, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Held both online and offline, the forum attracted more than 120 attendees, including experts and scholars in traditional medicine from home and abroad. Officials and experts in the area from countries like Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, and Russia delivered online speeches during the forum.

Pressing issues in areas spanning the integration of traditional medicine and the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), as well as the integration of traditional medicine and the health industry were discussed during the event.

It is expected that the forum will further enhance cooperation among China, ASEAN countries, as well as countries alongside the Belt and Road in traditional medicine.

Wei Guikang, a national master in medicine, said that traditional medicine meets broad social needs and has a popular base in ASEAN, adding that traditional Chinese medicine shares deep roots with traditional medicine in ASEAN countries. 

Experts who were dispatched to Hubei province and Cambodia to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic were also invited to share their experiences in applying traditional medicine to treat COVID-19.