On October 20, 2026, the inaugural South Asia Traditional Medicine Development Forum was successfully held in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, hosted by the South Asian Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Sciences, supported by the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (hereinafter referred to as World Lianjia) and the Sri Lanka Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and organized by China Youth Expo Integrated Marketing Consulting Co., Ltd. The forum, themed "Inheritance · Innovation · Collaboration," attracted representatives from government departments from the World Federation, China, Sri Lanka, and South Asia, traditional medicine institutions, academia, and businesses to exchange views on the inheritance and innovation of traditional medicine and the collaborative development of the health tourism industry.
Dr. Hansaka Wijemune attended the meeting and delivered a speech, introducing Sri Lanka's traditional medicine policies and development plans, and stated that the health sector will actively support the standardized and international development of traditional medicine.
Dr. Hansaka Wijemune delivered a speech
Zhu Yanwei, Minister-Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, attended the forum and delivered a speech. He stated that China is willing to work with Sri Lanka to promote practical cooperation between traditional Chinese medicine and Sri Lankan traditional medicine in medical care, education, research, and industry, contributing to bilateral health cooperation and the construction of the "Health Silk Road."
Zhu Yanwei, Minister-Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, delivered a speech
Suranjith Wevita, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Board, delivered a video address, introducing Sri Lanka's wellness tourism resources and current development status, and expressed support for the development of health tourism routes featuring traditional medicine to attract more international tourists.
Suranjith Wevita, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Board, delivered a video address
Wang Jing, Assistant Secretary-General of the World Liaison Association and Director of the International Liaison Department, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. She first introduced the work of the World Front Line, which promotes international exchange and cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine, then expressed support for the construction of traditional medicine organizations and academic platforms in South Asia, and finally encouraged the South Asian Association of Traditional Medicine and Natural Sciences, as a member unit of the World Federation, to actively work hard and play its role to promote exchange, mutual learning, and common development of traditional medicine in South Asia.
Wang Jing, Assistant Secretary-General of the World Liaison League and Director of the International Liaison Department, delivered a speech
Dr. Sinharaja Tammita Delgoda, President of the South Asian Association of Traditional Medicine and Natural Sciences, delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers. From the perspective of medical development history, he reviewed the historical connections and mutual influences of traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and Sri Lankan indigenous traditional medicine, stating that the forum aims to establish a normalized exchange and collaboration mechanism for South Asian traditional medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.
Dr. Sinharaja Tammita Delgoda, President of the South Asian Association of Traditional Medicine and Natural Sciences, delivered a speech
Zhang Jun, Business Expert at China Youth Blog Integrated Marketing Consulting Co., Ltd. and General Manager of China CYTS (Beijing) International Conference & Exhibition Co., Ltd., attended the meeting and delivered a speech. He expressed his willingness to work together to promote China-Sri Lanka cultural tourism exchanges to a new level, supporting the high-quality integrated development of traditional medicine and tourism exhibition enterprises in China.
Zhang Jun, Business Expert at China Youth Expo Federation Integrated Marketing Consulting Co., Ltd. and General Manager of China CYTS (Beijing) International Conference & Exhibition Co., Ltd., delivered a speech
Uppur Karunaratna, Vice Chairman of the Hela Weda Association of All Ceylon in Sri Lanka, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. He spoke about the development difficulties of Sri Lanka's indigenous traditional medicine and called for joint efforts to promote the construction and development of platforms for Sri Lankan indigenous traditional medicine.
Uppur Karunaratna, Vice Chairman of the Hela Weda Association across Sri Lanka, delivered a speech
Subsequently, Helaweda Lahami, Honorary Secretary-General and founder of the Helaweda Association in All of Sri Lanka, D.A.A.P. K.D. Arachi delivered a keynote speech, introducing the development history of indigenous traditional medicine in Sri Lanka and proposing the idea of establishing a research center and an academy.
Helaweda Lahami, Honorary Secretary-General and Founder of the Helaweda Association in All of Ceylon, Sri Lanka, D.A.A.P. K.D. Alach delivered the keynote speech
The South Asian Association of Traditional Medicine and Natural Sciences and Beijing Herb Mingyan Technology Co., Ltd. held a signing ceremony for the "Joint Construction of the Sri Lankan Traditional Medicine (Sinhalese) AI Corpus Knowledge Base."
During the roundtable dialogue, moderated by Dr. Palitha Kohona, Vice President of the South Asian Association of Traditional Medicine and Natural Sciences, Dr. Kohona, Deputy Minister of Health of Sri Lanka, Hansaka Wijemune, Director of Research and International Exchange, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Board Udana Wickramasinghe, Wang Jing, Assistant Secretary-General of World Communications and Director of International Liaison Department, and Zhang Jun, Business Expert at China Youth Expo Integrated Marketing Consulting Co., Ltd. and General Manager of China CYTS (Beijing) International Conference & Exhibition Co., Ltd., participated in the roundtable discussion, discussing topics such as global health tourism development trends and opportunities in Sri Lanka, wellness tourism market data and industry practices, multi-party collaboration, and future actions.
During the keynote speech session, government officials, medical officials, TCM experts, and business representatives from both China and Sri Lanka shared cutting-edge research results and valuable experiences on topics such as education, research, clinical practice, cultural dissemination, and international development of TCM and traditional medicine.
Professor Guo Rongjuan from Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China, shared clinical practice experience in the prevention and treatment of insomnia based on the concept of harmonizing body and spirit in traditional Chinese medicine.
Professor Guo Rongjuan from Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, delivered a keynote speech
Dr. Kasun Gunewardena, a Sri Lankan expert in traditional medicine from South Asia, reviewed the development history of Hela Wedakama and analyzed real-world challenges and nutritional cases.
Dr. Kasun Gunewardena, a traditional medicine expert in South Asia from Sri Lanka, delivered a keynote speech
Professor Zou Jian from Jinan University in China discussed the discovery process and scientific value of bioactive molecules in traditional Chinese medicine. Sri Lankan ecologist Mr. Ajantha Priyadarshan explored the significance of native medicinal plants in simulated food forests for ecological protection and traditional medicine. Professor Chen Xiuhua from Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine introduced the inheritance, innovation, and promotion of the Lingnan Chen-style acupuncture technique, a national intangible cultural heritage in China.
Professor Chen Xiuhua from Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine gave a live demonstration
Professor Ma Zhiguo from Xi'an Jiaotong University analyzed intellectual property protection issues in the exchange between traditional Chinese medicine and Sri Lankan traditional medicine.
Professor Ma Zhiguo from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, delivered a keynote speech
Dr. Ammar Hash Dehewal, Chairman of Medicare Sri Lanka, called for international cooperation to jointly improve global health levels.
Dr. Ammar Hash Dehewal, Chairman of Medicare Sri Lanka, delivered a keynote speech
Professor Che Zhaoqin from Shanghai Junkang Hospital explained the theoretical connotations of TCM originating from food and the application of dietary therapy in health management.
Professor Che Zhaoqin from Shanghai Junkang Hospital delivered a special guest lecture
Mr. Chaminda Dharmaratne, Honorary Secretary of the Hela Weda Association of All Ceylon in Central Province, Sri Lanka, shared his practical insights on cosmic energy healing and indigenous therapies. Professor Zhang Qi from Yunnan Minzu University in China analyzed the path for South Asian traditional medicine cooperation and the construction of an independent knowledge system from knowledge transmission to knowledge co-creation.
Finally, Dr. Eneke Pitz, former MDF South Asia Regional Director of Sri Lanka, delivered the concluding remarks.
Dr. Eneke Pitz, former MDF South Asia Regional Director of Sri Lanka, delivered the closing remarks
The successful hosting of this forum not only provided a high-end platform for in-depth exchange and practical cooperation between traditional Chinese medicine and Sri Lankan traditional medicine, but also injected new vitality into strengthening the friendship between the peoples of China and Sri Lanka and promoting collaborative development of regional health and wellness, marking a new historical stage in the development of traditional medicine in South Asia.