On the Fourth China Xizang Trans-Himalaya Forum, which was held from July 3 to July 5 in Lunang of Nyingchi City, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dr Stephan Kloos from Austrian Academy of Science sstressed the importance of developing Xizang's Tibetan medicine industry.

In his speech, he pointed out that the key to development lies in knowledge industries: “One of the most significant resources of Xizang is Tibetan medicine. This is not simply a natural resource of potent high-altitude plants, to be exported, processed, and value-added elsewhere. Rather, it is a unique tradition based on centuries of deep knowledge, experience, and learning, rooted in the unique natural and cultural environment of Xizang. And over the past three decades, it has developed into a thriving and profitable knowledge industry that has attracted international attention.”

He concluded his speech by emphasizing again the central role that Tibetan medicine plays in all the objectives laid out in thisforum, from economic and social development, to ecological conservation, international cooperation and trade. “It is a unique asset that China has done well to protect and promote, and that, if developed in the right way, will continue to provide fruits for many generations to come.”