Meng Liang stated at the World Congress of Traditional Chinese Medicine that the concept of "coexistence of diversity" should be used to promote traditional Chinese medicine to the world

The 22nd World Congress of Chinese Medicine was grandly opened in Sydney, Australia on October 31, 2025. Experts and scholars in traditional Chinese medicine, industry representatives and heads of international organizations from all over the world gathered together to have in-depth exchanges on "The Global Integration and Innovative Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine". As an important promoter of the international dissemination of China's fine traditional culture and traditional Chinese medicine, Meng Liang, the chairman of the Mencius Public Welfare Foundation, delivered a keynote speech at the main forum, proposing to reconstruct the contemporary value and cultural significance of traditional Chinese medicine with the concept of "coexistence of diversity", which resonated widely with the participants.

(Photo provided by the Mencius Public Welfare Foundation

In his speech titled "Integration and Symbiosis: The Contemporary Value and Future Prospects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Civilization", Meng Liang pointed out that currently, humanity is confronted with a predicament where technological rationality and mental anxiety coexist. Although the "adjunctive" thinking mode in modern medicine has brought about technological progress, it has also exacerbated the disconnection between the body and mind, the estrangement between civilizations, and ecological crises. He emphasized that traditional Chinese medicine is not only a skill for treating diseases and saving lives, but also a kind of life wisdom related to "relationship and balance", with its core lying in the philosophical thought of "coexistence of diversity".

He further elaborated that traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the coordination of the five internal organs in the perspective of the body, and in diagnosis and treatment, it stresses the multi-dimensional integration of "observation, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation". In treatment, it follows the principle of "sovereign, minister, assistant, and messenger" in compatibility, all of which reflect the symbiosis thinking. Meng Liang proposed that traditional Chinese medicine should reshape the picture of human civilization on three levels: in terms of the concept of health, it should shift from the "war metaphor" to the "ecological metaphor", regarding diseases as signals of ecological imbalance; In terms of technological relations, promote artificial intelligence to "endow" traditional Chinese medicine with vitality, making it a daily life care. In terms of the model of civilization development, it has shifted from "infinite extraction" to "circular symbiosis", achieving the unity of personal health and the health of the Earth.

Jenny Shipley, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand and co-chair of the Advisory Board of the Mencius Foundation, echoed Meng Liang's ideas in her speech. She pointed out that the concepts of "self-cultivation and self-reflection" and "the way of balance" in Mencius' thoughts are highly consistent with the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine. She proposed three major paths to promote the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine: strengthening cultural dissemination and integrating the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine into modern life; Make good use of artificial intelligence and big data to empower medical practice; Deepen international cooperation and promote the integration of traditional Chinese medicine into the global public health policy system.

Other guests attending the meeting also contributed their insights from different perspectives. Ma Jianzhong, the president of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, said that traditional Chinese medicine has become an important force in building a community of health for all mankind. The Chief Medical Officer of Singapore's Ministry of Health, Mak Siew Wai, shared the country's practical experience in integrating traditional and modern medicine.

(Photo provided by the Mencius Public Welfare Foundation

As an important part of the conference, the Mencius Public Welfare Foundation hosted the "Sub-Forum on the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine Civilization and the 7th Summit Dialogue on Eastern Civilization". The foundation was founded by Meng Liang in 2018 and has long been committed to the international dissemination of Chinese culture and dialogue among civilizations. It has continuously held many high-level international forums, building a regular platform for exchanges between the East and the West in the fields of health and civilization.

Today, as tradition and modernity, the East and the West are constantly colliding, traditional Chinese medicine, with the concept of "coexistence of diversity", is gradually becoming an important bridge connecting different civilizations and promoting global health and cultural mutual learning.