The 2026 World Traditional Medicine Conference will be held from October 17 to 18, 2026, at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. The conference is co-hosted by the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, the National Health Commission, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the National Medical Products Administration, in cooperation with the World Health Organization.

The conference has also established an expert committee composed of renowned experts and scholars in traditional medicine from around the world. The theme of this year's conference is "Technology Empowerment and Integrated Development: Promoting Traditional Medicine for All".

The conference consists of the opening and closing ceremonies, keynote speeches at the plenary session, an intergovernmental forum, and academic forums. The expert committee meeting of the conference will be held on October 16. The opening ceremony and plenary session will be held on the morning of October 17, and the intergovernmental forum will be held on the afternoon of October 17. Academic forums and the closing ceremony will be held on October 18. Simultaneous interpretation (Chinese and English) will be provided throughout the conference, and a variety of supporting activities have also been arranged.

At present, the conference has invited 92 experts and scholars from outside the Chinese mainland and 62 based in the Chinese mainland to attend and present academic papers. International guests presenting papers account for 60 percent, bringing 154 top-level speeches and reports as well as multiple exchange dialogues, covering traditional medicine, integration of traditional medicine with modern medicine, synergy of traditional medicine with modern technology, and other fields. Many high-level experts have also been invited to attend the conference, including Chinese and foreign academicians, and China's National Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors, and Qihuang Scholars.

Focusing on the key areas of the World Health Organization's Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, the conference will present practical measures and implementation results from countries around the world in implementing the strategy, and will demonstrate the diverse values of traditional medicine, represented by traditional Chinese medicine, in solving real-world health challenges.

The intergovernmental forum will be attended by health ministers and other government officials, and experts and scholars from many countries, as well as representatives of international organizations. Together, the attendees will engage in thematic discussions on topics such as integrating traditional medicine into mainstream international health systems, promoting primary health care, and advancing evidence-based development of traditional medicine. In addition, eight parallel academic forums will be held for in-depth exchanges in many fields, such as education and training, international standards, drug regulation, and artificial intelligence.

Multiple important outcome documents will also be published during the conference, with several achievements scheduled to be announced in the parallel forums in their respective fields.

(Source: Beijing Fabu)