The International Alliance of Chinese Medicine was founded in Beijing Friday to develop and promote traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Professor Cao Hongxin, president of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, was elected president of the alliance comprising almost 100 leading TCM experts from 20 countries.

The alliance would be dedicated to improving high-level and all-around exchanges and cooperation in TCM, so as to promote the international status of TCM, said Cao at the founding ceremony.

Zhou Tienong, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's legislature, said at the ceremony that he expected members of the alliance to make achievements by sharing resources and cooperation.

Zhou said China would develop TCM amid ongoing reform of the national health care system.

TCM generally refers to the comprehensive Chinese medical system based on the body's balance and harmony. Among the components of TCM are acupuncture, diet, herbal and nutritional therapy, physical exercise, and remedial massage.

As a sign of the world's growing acceptance of TCM, acupuncture and moxibustion were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Tuesday by UNESCO.

TCM is widely used in China, and policy-makers are promoting TCM to reduce burdensome medical costs and allow universal access to health care.

However, the share of TCM in the global medical market, which is dominated by Western medicine, remains low.