MALAYSIA-CHINA TO SET UP TRADITIONAL MEDICINE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

PUTRAJAYA, July 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and China will jointly set up a
Chinese traditional medicine centre of excellence in Selangor, Health Minister
Liow Tiong Lai said Friday.

Selangor is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of
Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east,
Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west.

He said the centre would be established in Salak Tinggi, on a piece of land
owned by the ministry, and its core activities would involve clinical, training
and research.

"It will serve as a centre of excellence for Chinese traditional medicine in
the Asean region," he told reporters at his office here, following a working
visit by China's Health Minister Dr Chen Zhu.

Liow said the idea of setting up the centre was proposed by Malaysia, and it
received positive response from China.

He said a working committee from each country had been set up to work on the
technical details.

Meanwhile, Liow said two pending memorandi of understanding (MoUs) involving
the two countries were finalised during the visit.

While one MoU pertained to Chinese traditional medicine, the other
involved
pharmaceuticals, traditional and complementary health products, including
cosmetics.

The minister said Malaysia also agreed to cooperate in medical tourism, and
complement China's medical services where Chinese seeking medical care abroad
were encouraged to come here.

"This is expected to boost Malaysia's economy and generate income growth, in
line with the country's healthcare services," he said, adding that there would
also be a collaboration in research on herbal medicinal products.

-- BERNAMA