[Analysis and comparative study on international competitiveness of trditional Chinese medicine trade]

Based on trditional Chinese medicine(TCM)trade data, spanning from 1996 to 2023, from UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database(UN Comtrad database), this study employed four evaluation metrics to analyze the current trade status of China's TCM and evolving trends of its international competitiveness in TCM trade. The evaluation metrics were international market share, trade specialization coefficient, revealed comparative advantage index, and composite trade competitiveness index. A comparative analysis was conducted with major trading nations including India, Canada, Germany, the United States, and Egypt. The study found that over 150 countries/regions participate in global TCM trade, with high-volume traders typically possessing either a long history of traditional medical practices or abundant medicinal resources. While China maintained the largest market share with expanding trade volume, its international competitiveness showed persistent decline, which indicated weakening comparative advantages. The United States, Germany, and France similarly exhibited declining competitiveness, while India and Egypt demonstrated significant competitiveness improvements. Notably, India had emerged as a key global player through rapid internationalization and standardization of its Ayurveda-based traditional medicine system. To optimize China's TCM trade strategy, this paper proposed exploring premium overseas medicinal resources, diversifying sourcing regions, and establishing international raw material bases to ensure stable supply chains.