The Chinese National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine says a conference has been held in Lisbon with a view to engendering cooperation by Portugal and the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan in spreading the practice of Chinese traditional medicine.

The administration issued a written statement saying the China (Sichuan) – Portugal Traditional Chinese Medicine Cultural Promotion and Sharing Conference was attended by over 200 Portuguese and Chinese, among them authorities in their respective fields, healthcare workers, academics, businesspeople, government officials and diplomats.

The administration says the conference envisaged cooperation in using Chinese traditional medicine to treat Portuguese patients, in teaching practitioners and in doing research in the field.

An agreement to set up the China-Portugal Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre, and another providing for cooperation in teaching Chinese traditional medicine by Southwest Medical University Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Sichuan and the University of Minho in Portugal were among five agreements reached during the conference, the administration says.