The opening ceremony of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on Traditional Medicine was held on Thursday in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, bringing new opportunities for the growth and international cooperation of traditional medicine.

This year's event set a record for international attendance, drawing 81 delegates from 21 countries, including Sri Lanka, Belarus, India and Kazakhstan. The delegation features senior government officials, health ministers, foreign diplomats and representatives from international bodies such as the SCO Secretariat and the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies. Officials noted that the strong participation of high-level leaders signals a shift in traditional medicine cooperation – moving from basic academic exchange toward joint platform building and shared institutional mechanisms.

A major highlight of the forum is its focus on technological innovation and practical application. A special release session for new policies, standards, technologies and products will unveil cutting-edge sector achievements, such as AI-assisted diagnostic tools and intelligent herbal processing systems. Spanning policy dialogues, standard mutual recognition and product commercialization, the forum aims to serve as a primary launchpad for innovation and global product debuts in traditional medicine.

Addressing the ceremony, Yin Hong, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Jiangxi Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Jiangxi Provincial People's Congress, highlighted Jiangxi's progress in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), noting that the sector reached 27.9 billion yuan (about $3.93 billion) in revenue. With 3,146 TCM institutions across the province, Jiangxi has built a "15-minute TCM healthcare service circle," ensuring accessible, high-quality care for residents.

Yin emphasized that as the SCO marks its 25th anniversary, recent SCO initiatives prioritizing AI and the digital economy have injected fresh momentum into traditional medicine. Jiangxi will leverage digital technologies to build smart TCM service systems, develop AI-assisted diagnostics and utilize the SCO multilingual platform to make quality healthcare more accessible globally.

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairperson of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the SCO (GNFCC SCO), noted that since its launch in 2020, the forum has held five sessions, forging a path of cooperation that aligns with both the principles of traditional medicine and the shared needs of regional countries.

"The forum serves as an essential platform for policy dialogue, yielding key consensuses such as the Nanchang Initiative and the Nanchang Consensus to deepen regional collaboration," Shen said.

Beyond high-level policy dialogues and technological showcases, the event features parallel sessions designed to strengthen international education standards and build cross-regional industrial supply chains, alongside interactive exhibitions showcasing traditional medical history and digital healthcare tools like thermal moxibustion robots. Delegates will also participate in field visits across Jiangxi to inspect key research laboratories, leading pharmaceutical companies and major medical institutions.

The three-day event, held from September 16 to 18, focuses on integrating smart technologies with traditional medicine expertise to enhance global public health. The forum is co-hosted by the People's Government of Jiangxi Province and the GNFCC SCO.