China’s State Administration of TCM officers, Mr. Sheng Zhixiang and Mr. Jiang Zaizeng, director and vice-director, respectively of the International Cooperation Dept. of the State Administration of TCM, China, had a meeting in Beijing December 3, 2002 with Mr. Dong Zhilin, chairman of PEFOTS, and Mr. Zhu Guoguang and Mr Ramon M. Calduch, vice chairman of PEFOTS.

From left to right: Mr.Dong, Z.L., Mr. Shen, Z. X., Mr. Calduch R.M., Mr. Jiang, Z.Z., Mr. Zhu,G.G.

During the meeting Mr. Sheng summarized the official trip to Britain led by Madam She Jing, Vice Minister of the Department of Health. Madam She Jing provided detailed information on both the management and the education system of TCM in China, such as the registration of TCM physicians, during her meeting with the Department of Health of Britain. She further discussed the new registration model which was introduced in Hong Kong and Thailand some years ago. She also expressed her concerns about the registration system being proposed in Britain, which would separate Chinese herbal medicine from acupuncture.

Mr. Dong appreciated the support given by the Chinese government for dealing with the situation of TCM in Europe. Mr. Dong also expressed his anxiety over the British government’s approach towards the herbal regulation. According to the model the so called registered ‘herbalist’ will include Chinese, European and Indian herbalist. In addition, Chinese ‘herbalist’ and ‘acupuncturist’ will be registered separately. Most of the TCM practitioners do not agree with this new registration system, simply because Chinese herbal medicine is based on its own theory which is completely different from that of Western herbal medicine or Indian herbal medicine. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine share exactly the same fundamental philosophy and they only differ in their ways of treatment, the one using needles, the other using herbs. Therefore it is highly essential to urge TCM associations in Britain to let the British government know of the potential negative consequences of this registration model