BEIJING -- China had dispatched traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) specialists to 29 countries to aid the fight against COVID-19 during the pandemic, an official told a press conference on Thursday.

China has released multilingual versions of TCM diagnostic and therapeutic protocols for novel coronavirus infections, and shared its experience in fighting the virus with traditional medicine with more than 150 countries and regions, said Wei Chunyu, an official with the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, noting that traditional Chinese herbal medicines with proven efficacy have been researched and adopted by countries.

During the pandemic, China also organized an international cooperation forum on fighting COVID-19 with TCM and helped the World Health Organization convene a meeting to evaluate the role of TCM in the treatment of novel coronavirus infections. A report released later endorsed the efficacy and safety of TCM, Wei said.

China now plans to organize various activities at overseas TCM centers, cultural centers and medical institutions to promote TCM culture, and introduce Chinese culture to the World through acupuncture services, TCM therapy consultation and TCM exhibitions, among other initiatives.