by Xinhua writers Wang Chenxi, Annie Cheung
MACAO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Macao's traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry along with other emerging sectors is gaining momentum from cooperation among cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of the most open and economically vibrant regions in China.
This comes amid China's increased efforts to make the markets within the bay area highly connected, with the efficient flow of various resources and factors of production.
Irene Wong King was born and raised in Hong Kong but she opted to pursue a career in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Hengqin of Zhuhai, the mainland's closest city to the SAR.
Wong set up a TCM company in Macao in 2003. After the TCM Science and Technology Industrial Park started operation in 2013 in Hengqin through collaboration between Macao and Guangdong Province, home to Zhuhai, Wong opened a branch office there.
The TCM industrial park, jointly established by the Macao SAR government and the Guangdong provincial government, now boasts 159 registered companies in areas including TCM, health products, medical equipment and services, and biomedicine, 39 of which are from Macao.
"The park offers preferential policies for TCM companies and products, and certifications accepted by European countries for TCM products can be issued here, which is vital for accessing the international market," said Wong.
The park provides affordable and flexible production lines for TCM companies and one-stop services from testing, trial production to qualification applications in China and the international market, according to the park's operator.
"Thanks to the platform provided by the park, my business is successful and our health products sell well in Europe," Wong said.
Apart from serving as a platform promoting TCM industrial development, the park is playing a role in helping high-quality TCM products and technology gain a foothold in international markets, including Portuguese-speaking countries, for example, organizing TCM training and personnel exchanges with Mozambique.
Macao is ready to host a grand celebration Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of its return to the motherland. Efforts are being made to build the region into a platform for commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
TCM is one of the sectors that Macao is encouraged to boost amid its efforts to diversify its economy.
In August 2015, the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine was officially established in Macao.
Some universities in Macao also set up a TCM education and research system, including the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines at the Macao University of Science and Technology, making Macao a gateway to the world for TCM.
