Macao in southern China - renowned as Asia's Las Vegas - has tabled plans to become a hub to make traditional Chinese medicine more standardized and scientific and to further develop it to enable its products to be sold around the world.

Those ambitions were formally unveiled recently in the special administrative region's (SAR) first all-encompassing five-year plan. After a year of preparation, the proposals identified Chinese medicine as one of the key emerging sectors in the city - followed by the events and cultural and creative industries - that are targeting creating new employment opportunities to further diversify its economy.

The aim is not only to wean Macao off its heavy reliance on gambling, but also to take advantage of the city's long tradition in Chinese medical treatment and the growing trend in health tourism.