"Fully implementing the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Law is this year's key task of promoting the development of TCM," said Wang Guoqiang, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), at the national conference on TCM.

The release of the TCM Law was the most significant event in 2016, and will promote the development of TCM and give support to relevant medical departments to improve their services.

Wang said that this year is an important year to fully carry out the TCM Law.

"Relevant departments should interpret the background and content of the law to make it better understood by the public," he said, urging relevant departments to regulate traditional Chinese medicine's standards, register TCM clinics, and file documents before the TCM Law is officially implemented on July 1. Local governments should formulate regulations based on the law.

Wang said that health departments at all levels should improve TCM services for the public in 2017 and push forward the healthy development of TCM.