Draw inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine to address the challenges of our time — Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Xie Feng at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Open Day

从中医药文化汲取破解时代难题的丰厚滋养——谢锋大使在中医药文化开放日活动上的致辞

Distinguished guests,

Dear friends,

各位来宾，各位朋友：

Good morning! In Chinese culture, we believe “Spring is a season of healing when illness retreats.” So first, I would like to welcome all of you to visit our Embassy in this season of vigor and experience the traditional Chinese medicine culture. 

“春阳长，百病消”，欢迎大家在生机盎然的季节走进中国大使馆，走近中医药文化。

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a rich history spanning over thousands of years. In it, you can not only learn about how the Chinese people have treated diseases and strengthened the body since ancient times, but also get a glimpse into Chinese philosophy. It is a gem of ancient Chinese science, a key to Chinese civilization, and also a source of inspiration for addressing the challenges of our time. 

中医药传承千年、博大精深，不仅蕴含着中华民族数千年来治病祛疾、强身健体的实践经验，而且凝聚着中华文明历经沧桑、生生不息的哲学思想，是中国古代科学的瑰宝，是打开中华文明宝库的钥匙，也将为我们破解时代难题带来启迪。

Through innovation and inclusiveness, the TCM culture has made valuable contributions to human health. Legend has it that Shennong, the “father of TCM” who lived over 5,000 years ago, tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered 72 poisons a day just to test their medicinal value. Throughout history, Chinese physicians have put life first and advanced TCM with compassion for the people. Today, we have over 13,000 ancient classics on TCM and over 18,000 varieties of TCM drug materials, which have helped the Chinese nation navigate through plagues one after another, and offered China’s solution for conquering diseases facing mankind. 

中医药守正创新、兼收并蓄的独特魅力，为人类健康事业提供了难得良方。相传神农尝遍百草，一日而遇七十毒。凭借生命至上、大医精诚的追求，如今中医典籍超1.3万种、中药逾1.8万种，让中华民族从灾疫中一次次转危为安，也为人类攻克顽疾提供了中国方案。

When Chinese navigator Zheng He led fleets to embark on seven overseas voyages more than 600 years ago, the ships were loaded not with firearms, but herbs and midwives. When plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, developed resistance to quinine in the 1960s, Chinese scientist Tu Youyou extracted artemisinin from Chinese herbs, which has saved millions of lives ever since. During the Covid-19 pandemic, TCM treatment proved effective on over 90% of the patients, contributing China’s wisdom to the global anti-epidemic response.

明代郑和七下西洋，船队满载的不是枪炮而是药材和稳婆。上世纪60年代，疟原虫对奎宁类药物产生抗药性，中国科学家屠呦呦从中草药中提取出青蒿素，挽救了数百万人的生命。新冠疫情肆虐之际，中医药总有效率达90%以上，为全球抗疫贡献了中国智慧。

Today, TCM is practiced in more than 190 countries and regions. Chinese massage, cupping and moxibustion therapies are being embraced by more and more people. Innovative Chinese herbal teas and other health products keep emerging. The ancient treasure of China is brimming with vitality in the new era, and becoming a popular health choice around the world. 

中医药已远播190多个国家和地区，推拿、拔罐、艾灸持续圈粉，古方新制的中药茶饮等新产品不断涌现，中华瑰宝焕发出新的时代生机，也成为各国人民追求健康的共同选择。

Emphasizing addressing both the symptoms and root causes and strengthening the foundation while nourishing the source, TCM offers useful references for moving beyond tariff war and trade war. TCM holds that to treat a disease, it is crucial to identify its root cause, face the problem squarely and take the right medicine, instead of only tackling the symptoms or even imposing prescriptions on others for one’s own illness. Likewise, the main reason why global growth has hit a bottleneck is because it lacks momentum. So instead of fighting over the existing turf, a wiser solution will be making the pie bigger from a long-term perspective. 

中医药标本兼治、固本培元的理论精髓，为走出关税战、贸易战提供了有益借鉴。中医讲“治病必求于本”，不能头痛医头、脚痛医脚，更不能病急乱投医、自己生病让别人吃药，而应该正视自己的问题，找准病灶、开对药方。世界经济增长进入瓶颈期，症结在于增长动能不足，不能只顾眼下争抢存量，而应着眼长远做大“蛋糕”。

Also, in TCM theory, pain means the flow of blood is not smooth. Globalization, connectivity and complementary advantages are the foundation of global prosperity over the past decades, and the path countries must take to achieve sustained common development. Weaponizing interdependence would only cause self-isolation and backfire, and tariff barriers would clog the flow of international trade and devastate the health of world economy. I believe many of you are familiar with how the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act ultimately escalated the Great Depression. “Tributaries will dry up when there is no water in the main river.” If global industrial and supply chains are blocked, countries would face a supply shortage and soaring prices, which would eventually hurt everyone’s wellbeing. The fundamental way out is to ensure the smooth flow of world economy so as to keep it robust and vibrant.

中医也讲“通则不痛，痛则不通”。全球化、互联互通、优势互补是世界过去几十年繁荣的基础，也是各国持续共同发展的必由之路。将相互依存武器化只会自我孤立、损人害己，高筑关税壁垒势必引发国际经贸气滞血瘀，颠覆世界经济健康发展，《斯穆特-霍利关税法》加剧大萧条的殷鉴不远。大河没水小河干，全球产供链梗阻，将导致各国商品短缺、物价飙升，伤害各方切身福祉，治本之策是行气血、通经络，让世界经济之水流起来、活起来。

Valuing internal harmony through the balance between yin and yang, TCM provides the right mindset for Chinese and American people to enhance mutual understanding, and seek common ground while reserving differences. TCM believes that any illness is rooted in the discord between yin and yang, so maintaining health is about preserving the dynamic equilibrium in the body. Eastern civilizations uphold harmonious coexistence. A good TCM recipe usually combines many different ingredients, which reinforce one another and create the best medical effect. Likewise, the Earth is big enough to accommodate both China and the U.S. We should pursue peaceful coexistence rather than collide head-on, and help each other succeed rather than get caught in a lose-lose scenario. 

中医药阴阳平衡、调和致中的博大智慧，为中美人民增进理解、求同存异提供了正确思路。中医认为，阴阳失和是病机的总括，维护健康就要确保人的整体功能动态平衡。和合共生是东方文明的精髓。就像煎煮中药，多种药物相辅相成，才能造就攻克疑难杂症的良药。地球容得下中美两国，应该和平共存而不是迎头相撞，彼此成就而不是两败俱伤。

Both Chinese and American people wish for good health and a better future. TCM has served as a bond fostering exchanges between our people. During President Richard Nixon’s ice-breaking trip to China in 1972, a surgery under acupuncture anesthesia amazed numerous Americans. Last month, American YouTuber IShowSpeed livestreamed himself trying pulse diagnosis and acupuncture, and his headache went away after just three minutes. Currently, acupuncture is legally recognized in 47 American states and D.C. Also, a growing number of American people are becoming fans of Taijiquan, Baduanjin and other traditional Chinese exercises. All these have forged close ties between our people, which should not be cut off.

中美人民对身体健康、美好未来的追求是相通的，中医药已成为促进人文交流的亮丽名片。尼克松总统“破冰之旅”之际，针刺麻醉术曾引发全美轰动；美国博主“甲亢哥”不久前体验把脉针灸，用一镜到底的直播“破圈”展现东方疗法的实效；针灸已获得全美47个州和华盛顿特区认可，太极拳、八段锦等中国传统健身术走入美国寻常百姓家，中美人民相知相近的纽带千丝万缕、不容割裂。

Dear friends,

各位朋友，

As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “The greatest physicians save a country; the second greatest save individuals.” The Chinese civilization advocates promoting the common good of the entire world and benefiting each human being. China firmly opposes tariff war or trade war of any form. This is not only to safeguard our own national interests and dignity, but also to champion the international economic and trade order, fairness and justice. If any country insists on imposing tariff war or trade war on us, we will definitely face it fearlessly and take resolute countermeasures.

古语云，“上医医国，其次疾人。”中华文明自古就有济世安人、泽被天下的情怀与担当。中国坚决反对任何形式的关税战、贸易战，这不仅仅是维护中国的国家利益和民族尊严，也是捍卫国际经贸秩序和国际公平正义。如果别的国家把关税战、贸易战强加于中国，我们将勇敢面对、坚决反制。

As the international economic and trade landscape is being rattled, the China International Consumer Products Expo and the Canton Fair which opened earlier this month saw the number of participating brands and businesses hit a new high, and projects with a total investment of over $32 billion were signed during the 2025 Global Industrial Investment Promotion Conference for the Hainan Free Trade Port. In the first quarter, China’s GDP grew 5.4% year-over-year, ranking among the top in major economies. The total value of China’s imports and exports in the period set a new record high, among which countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for more than 50%. All these have testified to the strong resilience and bright prospects of the Chinese economy.

在国际经贸格局受到严重冲击之际，中国消博会、广交会接踵而至、盛况空前，参展品牌和企业数量创历史新高，海南自贸港全球产业招商大会签约额超过320亿美元。今年一季度，中国国内生产总值同比增长5.4%，增速在世界主要经济体名列前茅，进出口规模创历史同期新高，同共建“一带一路”国家进出口额占比超过50%，中国经济彰显强大韧性潜力。

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In a world fraught with instabilities and uncertainties, China remains a huge market with the greatest potentials, a major engine of global growth, and an ideal destination for foreign investment. China’s development will continue to be an opportunity for the whole world. We will continue to open rather than close our doors, tear down rather than erect barriers, empower the world rather than focus solely on self-interest, and bring more stability and certainty to the world with our high-quality development and high-standard opening up. Time has proven and will continue to prove how far China’s recipe will go.

面对充满不稳定不确定性的世界，中国仍然是全球最具潜力的超大规模市场、世界经济增长的主要动力源、外商最理想的投资目的地，中国的发展继续是世界的共同机遇。我们将坚持“开门”而非“关门”、“拆墙”而非“筑墙”、“赋能”而非“争利”，以高质量发展和高水平对外开放为世界注入稳定性和确定性。中医处方的疗效如何，时间已经并将继续证明。

Thank you very much.  

谢谢大家。

来源：中国驻美国大使馆