A traditional Chinese medicine center will be built in Dubai, bringing a new treatment option to the Middle East.

The program was jointly launched by the First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, the Xie He Medical Center, which is the only comprehensive Chinese hospital in Dubai, and Shenzhen-based Neptunus Group.

The new center will target Chinese as well as local people in the Middle East. The plan is that in three to five years, 30 to 50 clinics will be built around the center, according to a statement issued by the three.

The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine will provide skilled staff and technical support for the program.

The Xie He Medical Center in Dubai, as an influential Chinese hospital in the Middle East, has many departments for traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnosis and treatment. It will serve as the medical base for the program, while the Shenzhen Neptunus Group will offer financial support.

"The new center can tap into the specific needs of patients in the Middle East, and bring about treatment and medicine that are suitable for them," said Chen Xinyu, head of the First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine.

The State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the National Development and Reform Commission issued a guideline in January 2017, to encourage the application of TCM in foreign countries and share related medical resources between economies related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

To date, there are around 300,000 Chinese people in Dubai. Facing increasing demand for TCM, the Xie He Medical Center in Dubai needs technical and financial support from China, Chen said.

"With the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, TCM has more market potential in Dubai than in the US and European countries," said Zhang Yidan, an analyst specializing in the medical industry at Beijing-based research company Analysys.

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