China Unveils 15th Five-Year Plan for TCM Revitalization

China has officially released its 15th Five-Year Plan for the Revitalization and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a comprehensive national blueprint that sets ambitious targets for modernizing the ancient medical practice, integrating it with Western medicine, and expanding its global influence by 2030. Approved by the State Council and jointly issued by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the plan marks a significant escalation in Beijing’s strategic commitment to positioning TCM as a pillar of its healthcare system and a tool of global health diplomacy, according to Xinhua News.

A Paradigm Shift from Quantity to Quality

The plan, approved by the State Council on July 7 and formally published on July 23, represents a notable departure from previous five-year plans. Rather than setting targets for the number of TCM institutions or hospital beds, the 15th Five-Year Plan focuses on qualitative improvements in service capacity, physician ratios, and patient outcomes. The core objective is to “achieve universal access to TCM services” — defined as accessible, available, and affordable TCM care for the entire population across the full lifecycle, based on a 15-minute medical service point network.

The State Council’s approval document emphasizes that implementation must “adhere to the principles of equal emphasis on Chinese and Western medicine, uphold integrity and innovation, and accelerate the modernization of TCM while promoting it to the world.”

Ten Key Performance Indicators

The plan establishes 10 measurable targets to track progress from 2025 baseline levels to 2030 goals. These include increasing the number of TCM licensed physicians per 1,000 population from 0.64 to 0.71, raising the proportion of TCM patient visits from 20.2% to 23% of total national visits, and boosting citizens’ TCM health literacy rate from 28.1% to 33%. Notably, the plan targets 20 new TCM international standards over the five-year period, signaling China’s ambition to shape global regulatory frameworks for traditional medicine.

Ten Priority Areas and Twelve Special Programs

The plan outlines 10 priority task areas covering the full spectrum of TCM development. A key innovation is the first-ever standalone section on integrated Chinese-Western medicine, which calls for building “flagship hospitals and departments” for中西医协同 (coordinated Chinese-Western medicine) and focusing collaborative efforts on major difficult diseases. Other priority areas include improving the high-quality TCM service system, enhancing full-lifecycle health service capacity, building a high-quality talent pipeline, advancing TCM inheritance and innovation, modernizing the TCM industry, fostering cultural prosperity, expanding international openness, accelerating digitalization and standardization, and deepening reform and governance.

Twelve dedicated special programs — referred to as “columns” — provide targeted support for areas ranging from TCM specialty centers and elderly health centers to AI datasets, smart hospitals, and the “New Era Shennong Tastes a Hundred Herbs” initiative to discover new medicinal plant resources globally.

Expert Reactions

Leading figures in Chinese medicine have welcomed the plan with enthusiasm. Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and National Master of Chinese Medicine, told Xinhua that “TCM revitalization and development has arrived at a time of favorable timing, geographical conditions, and human harmony. In the next five years, from career to industry, from service system to talent team to standardization, high-quality TCM development will accelerate at full speed.”

Wang Qi, also an academician and National Master of Chinese Medicine, emphasized the importance of leveraging TCM’s unique advantages: “At this critical period of advancing Healthy China construction, we must fully leverage the unique advantages of TCM, accelerate solving disease prevention and treatment challenges, fill service gaps, and better meet the diverse health needs of the people.”

Demographic and Strategic Drivers

The plan arrives against a backdrop of profound demographic change in China. The population aged 60 and above has exceeded 320 million, with over 75% of elderly citizens suffering from at least one chronic disease. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases threaten hundreds of millions. The plan explicitly addresses modern health concerns such as childhood myopia, adolescent sleep disorders, and youth bone health, reflecting a comprehensive approach to population health.

Global Ambitions

TCM’s international dimension features prominently in the plan. With international standards already exceeding 130 items and the “Four Medical Tantras” inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, China aims to add 20 new international standards over the next five years. The plan calls for deepening cooperation with international organizations, integrating TCM into the Belt and Road Initiative, and establishing high-quality TCM overseas centers. As Chen Shilin, an academician and chief professor at Chengdu University of TCM, noted: “TCM not only ‘belongs to China’ but is a precious treasure for all humanity.”

What to Watch

Implementation will be the critical test. The plan’s success depends on coordination between national ministries and provincial governments, adequate funding, and the ability to overcome historical tensions between TCM and Western medical paradigms. The emphasis on digitalization — including AI datasets, smart hospitals, and intelligent diagnostic tools — suggests China is betting on technology to bridge the gap between traditional practice and modern healthcare delivery. With the 2030 target year now in sight, the 15th Five-Year Plan represents China’s most ambitious effort yet to transform its ancient medical heritage into a modern, globally recognized healthcare system.

The NATCM director summed up the vision: “To build a solid health foundation for Chinese-style modernization, TCM should have greater achievements. We must inherit the essence, uphold integrity and innovation, and accelerate the revitalization and development of TCM to a new level.”