Chinese Medicine Park works to begin this year

Until the end of this year, a Government-owned company will be set up to run the Chinese Medicine Park along with its Guangdong province counterpart, Alexis Tam said

The construction works for the Chinese Traditional Medicine Scientific and Industrial Park on Hengqin Island will start as soon as the Guangdong-Macau Cooperation Framework Agreement is signed, which should take place until the end of the year, Government spokesperson Alexis Tam said yesterday.
The framework agreement was supposed to be signed at the end of last June. However, “we have already got some feedback from the State Council and we will have to make some adjustments,” he explained.
Tam met with journalists to announce the nomination of Echo Chan Keng Hong as one of the deputy coordinators of the Park’s preparatory office. The Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) executive director was chosen due to her “broad experience in administration,” he said, and will be in charge of attracting investment for the Hengqin project.
Also until the end of this year, a Government-owned company will be set up to run the Chinese Medicine Park along with its Guangdong province counterpart, the Hengqin Investment Society. Macau will keep 51 percent of this joint venture, while both companies will share the management duties.
The statutes of this MSAR-owned company will be ready within two months, Tam assured. “We already have a statutes’ draft and it should be approved before the end of the year.”

Medical tourism an option

Aside the nomination of Echo Chan as deputy coordinator, the Park’s preparatory office is now allowed to rent workspace, buy equipment and hire personnel. The Government is prepared to take on specialists, even from outside of Macau, to create a plan to develop the Hengqin project, Tam said. A planning proposal should be delivered by the summer of next year, he added.
During the press conference, the spokesperson also revealed that only 0.5 of the 5 square kilometres reserved for Macau will be used for research and production of Chinese medicine products. “It will be the first priority but afterwards we will develop other activities, step by step.”
The project will include spaces for conventions and exhibitions, creative industries, educational training and tourism. Asked if medical tourism could be part of the Hengqin project, Tam confirmed “there is a possibility we might follow up on that”.
In fact, he disclosed that Taiwan experts have shown interest in setting up a Chinese medicine hospital in the Park. “We will commission a study and make a decision somewhere in the future.” Tam met with several Taiwan specialists in Chinese traditional medicine during a visit to the island last week.