From September 19th to 22nd, Wu Chengliang, Vice President of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University(ZCMU), led a delegation to attend the Second Conference of Global Alliance of Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine and International Forum on Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture, held at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape(UWC). Representatives from the Department of Science and Innovation in South Africa, UWC, the University of Galway, the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa(AHPCSA), the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Cape Town, Zhejiang Normal University(ZJNU), along with Chinese and foreign directors and representatives from partner institutions of eight global Confucius Institutes for Traditional Chinese Medicine(CITCM) and TCM Confucius Classrooms, participated in the conference.

Wu Chengliang provided a brief overview of ZCMU’s basic situation and noted that the Global Alliance of Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine(GACICM) is an important attempt to promote cooperation and exchange in the fields of cross-culture and interdisciplinary studies. Wu Chengliang emphasized the importance of establishing a shared platform to facilitate the sharing and exchange of global TCM educational resources; implementing a characteristic development model of “Chinese + Traditional Chinese Medicine” to cultivate compound talents proficient in both Chinese and TCM knowledge; and exploring diversified and long-term development paths in medical, education, industry, and research based on GACICM, leveraging the unique characteristics and strengths of each institution to expand the global influence of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

During the conference, ten Chinese and international representatives from Confucius Institutes engaged in discussions on themes such as “TCM Education”, “Global Traditional Medicine”, and “International Communication of TCM”. The head of ZCMU’s International Relations Office (Office for Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs) delivered a keynote speech titled “TCM Education and TCM Talents Cultivation in China”. Wu Chengliang and the delegation also visited the Confucius Institute for Chinese Medicine at University of the Western Cape in South Africa(CIUWC) and the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences. They also exchanged views with the leaders of UWC’s TCM discipline and the CIUWC.

On the afternoon of September 19^th, Wu Chengliang attended the fifth board meeting of the CIUWC. He stated that the CIUWC should strengthen the construction of digital education platforms, implement a distinctive “Chinese + Traditional Chinese Medicine” model, explore diversified development paths in medical, education, industry, and research, and leverage the ZCMU’s National TCM Service Export Base to further enhance the influence of TCM in South Africa.

The heads of ZCMU’s General Office, Development Planning Department, Hospital Administration Department, and International Relations Office (Office for Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs) participated in the above-mentioned activities.