China’s TCM brings greater involvement with Myanmar

A three-month Sino-Myanmar traditional medicine training program backed by Southwest China’s Yunnan Province opened on Monday, in response to the Belt and Road initiative and to increase cooperation between the two countries.

The training session has 17 personnel from Myanmar taking part, focusing on traditional medical treatments, including acupuncture and tuina (pushpinch) massage, at the Yunnan Traditional Chinese Medicine University, chinanews.com reported on Tuesday.

They will get three weeks of practice and theory before applying it to clinical practice.

Chinese tuina and acupuncture have been growing in popularity in Myanmar so this is a great way to increase exchanges and cooperation and benefit the people of both countries, said U Soe Paing, Myanmar’s ConsulGeneral in Kunming, capital of Yunnan, the report said.

Zheng Jin, Deputy Director of Yunnan’s Health and Family Planning Commission, echoed these sentiments, telling the media, “These exchanges between two countries will promote the mutual development of our traditional medicines.”

Zheng emphasized that such programs also help the Chinese to understand Myanmar’s traditional therapies, and enables them to discuss the challenges and opportunities of traditional medicine.

Yunnan shares a border with Myanmar, and cooperation between China and Myanmar has increased in recent years, and about 50 training programs covering not only healthcare but education and culture have been held every year.