In the first half of this year, the import and export of Chinese medicines have ste

Imports and exports of Chinese medicine reached 1.22 billion U.S. dollars, up 23.4% year-on-year

Chinese medicine imports and exports are both prosperous and hidden

The situation of China's imports and exports of Chinese medicines is similar to that of other pharmaceutical products, and imports and exports have maintained a good momentum of growth. In the first half of this year, China’s imports and exports of Chinese medicines were 1.22 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 23.4%. Among them, exports amounted to US$910 million, an increase of 26% year-on-year. The export commodities consist mainly of plant extracts and Chinese herbal decoction pieces, which account for 78.8% of the total exports of Chinese medicine. The export volume of proprietary Chinese medicines accounted for only 12.9% of total exports, and the year-on-year increase was also the smallest of all types of goods, at just 17.1%.

In the first half of the year, imports of Chinese medicines totaled 310 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 16.3% year-on-year. Among them, the increase in imports of Chinese Herbal Pieces was the largest, and the increase in imports of proprietary Chinese medicines slowed down.

Chinese herbal medicines export volume and price increase

In the first half of this year, the prices of many medicinal herbs in China have risen by several dozen times.

The export volume of Chinese Herbal Pieces was 143,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 18.6%; the export volume reached US$340 million, an increase of 34.6% year-on-year; the average export price increased by 13.5% year-on-year. The prices of medicinal herbs with larger price increase are: Fritillaria (price increased by 229% from the previous year), Tianqi (price increased by 191% from the previous year), Cordyceps sinensis (price increased 48% from the previous year), Coptis chinensis (price from the same period last year increased by 48%), Atractylodes lucidum (price from year-on-year Increase by 38%) etc.

The soaring price of medicinal herbs has many factors. In the first half of the year, the climate in the major producing areas of China's medicinal materials is abnormal, and it has experienced freezing disasters, droughts, and floods. The production of medicinal materials has been greatly affected. In addition, some medicine wholesalers "good stuff" is also one of the factors that push up the prices of medicinal herbs. It is expected that prices of Chinese herbal medicines will continue to remain high in the second half of the year.

Traditional market performance is flat

China's main export market for Chinese medicine is Asia, accounting for more than 60% of the global market, including Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and other countries and regions. In addition, the United States is also an important export market for Chinese medicine, accounting for more than 10% of the global market. In the first half of the year, the top three countries and regions for the export of Chinese medicine were Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States.

Japan and the United States, as traditional Chinese medicine export markets, saw a smaller year-on-year increase, especially compared to other emerging export markets, where the traditional market performed flat. Taking the export of plant extracts as an example, although Japan and the United States ranked in the top two positions in the first half of 2010, the increase was less than 10%, while Malaysia and India, which ranked third and fourth, increased by 67% year-on-year, respectively. 19%. The same phenomenon exists in the exports of Chinese patent medicines. As the main export market of Chinese patent medicines, Japan’s exports in the first half of the year showed a negative growth year-on-year, down by 6.3%.

China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Becomes New Bright Spot for Chinese Medicine Trade

In January 2010, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area was formally launched. Tariffs involving traditional Chinese medicines between China and ASEAN countries have been greatly reduced. At the same time, customs clearance has become more convenient. From January to June, China’s import and export volume of ASEAN’s Chinese medicines was US$2.0 billion, a 42% increase over the same period of the previous year, accounting for 16.5% of the global Chinese medicine market, and import and export trade showed rapid growth.

Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore are the major markets for exports of Chinese medicine to ASEAN. Malaysia mainly imports plant extracts, and Vietnam mainly imports Chinese Herbal Pieces. Singapore has become a major destination for the export of Chinese proprietary Chinese medicines to the European Union due to better regulations for the registration of proprietary Chinese medicines.

Emerging markets deserve attention

In the first half of 2010, the export markets of Chinese medicine represented by India, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. performed well. These emerging markets increased by more than 50% year-on-year.

India was not the main market for Chinese proprietary Chinese medicines exports before. However, in the first half of the year, India has already become China's second largest export market for proprietary Chinese medicines, with exports exceeding the United States and Japan. At the same time, India is still the fourth largest market for the export of plant extracts in China. The main Chinese medicine commodities exported to India by China are pigment plant extracts and artemisinin-related products that are resistant to malaria.

Also worthy of attention is Malaysia. In the first half of the year, it is the fifth largest market for Chinese medicine exports. Due to the implementation of relevant preferential policies under the framework of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, the trade in Chinese medicine between the two countries has developed rapidly. At present, Malaysia is the third largest market for the export of plant extracts in China and is the sixth largest market for proprietary Chinese medicines and Chinese herbal medicines.

summary

In the first half of 2010, China’s imports and exports of Chinese medicine products were strong. Due to the increase in prices of raw materials, the increase in imports and exports was significant. The growth of proprietary Chinese medicines is relatively weak and exports are facing more and more difficulties.

Driven by the slow recovery of the global economy and market demand, it is expected that the exports of Chinese medicine in the second half of the year will continue to grow, and the growth rate will slow down from the first half of the year.