Pingtan hosted the 12th Cross-Straits Traditional Chinese Medicine Forum on Oct 15, as the city attempts to lure TCM practitioners to the island city in Fujian province to build up its traditional Chinese medicine-based health care sector.

The event attracted more than 300 TCM experts from across China, including academics, officials from the government's health care, science and technology, and agriculture departments, and the heads of several TCM associations.

The attendees exchanged research findings and discussed the construction of TCM clinics in Pingtan. The event also included an exhibition of newly developed Chinese medicine products from Taiwan.

Pingtan hopes that the conference will provide a boost to its plans to set up a cross-Straits traditional Chinese medicine base.

The city has been pushing the development of high-end health care services in recent years, and has made efforts to encourage Taiwan health care enterprises and medical professionals to relocate to Pingtan.

Recently, these efforts bore fruit with four specialized hospitals from Taiwan opening branches in Pingtan. And plans to construct a business park for high-end health care companies from Taiwan are already underway.