From October 26 to 27, 2026, the 16th Plenary Meeting of the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 249 on Traditional Medicine (ISO/TC 249) was successfully held at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, bringing together approximately 100 delegates from 17 national delegations and relevant international organizations.

As a Category A liaison organization of ISO/TC 249, the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) delegated Zhao Hong, Director Member (China) of the Standardization Working Committee of WFAS, to attend the meeting. Kim Yong-suk, Vice President of WFAS, and Christopher Zaslawski, Deputy Director Member of the University Cooperation Working Committee of WFAS, participated as members of the national delegations of South Korea and Australia, respectively. Chen Huan, Secretary-General of the Standardization Working Committee of WFAS, attended the meeting in the capacity of Convenor of ISO/TC 249/SC 1/WG 3.

During the meeting, Zhao Hong presented WFAS's progress in standardization in recent years. Under the coordination of the Standardization Working Committee of WFAS, a total of 41 WFAS standards, including two revised standards, have been published over the past three years. WFAS has also actively promoted the transformation of its own standards into ISO international standards. WFAS and ISO/TC 249 have maintained close cooperation over the years and jointly established the International Acupuncture Standardization Coordination Group. Moving forward, the Coordination Group will conduct surveys on international standardization needs in acupuncture, identify priorities for the development of international acupuncture standards, and facilitate the development of higher-quality standards that better meet the practical needs of the industry.

In addition, Christopher Zaslawski, Zhao Hong and Chen Huan jointly reviewed the standards related to traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture published by four major organizations: the World Health Organization (WHO), ISO/TC 249, WFAS and the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS). They also introduced Australia's practices and contributions in the development of international standards for traditional medicine. Their research paper, titled Standardization for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture: An International and Australian Perspective, has been published in the journal Chinese Medicine and Culture.

Since establishing a formal working relationship with ISO in 2010, WFAS has remained actively engaged in the international standardization activities of ISO/TC 249. Through delegating representatives to attend plenary meetings and reporting on its standardization activities, WFAS has continued to fulfill its responsibilities as a Category A liaison organization. At this meeting, Zhao Hong reaffirmed on behalf of WFAS its commitment to maintaining its Category A liaison relationship with ISO/TC 249.

The meeting featured extensive discussions on the future scope of work and development direction of ISO/TC 249. Experts from Iran, Africa and Hong Kong, China, delivered presentations on the development backgrounds and current status of Persian traditional medicine, African traditional medicine and homeopathy, respectively. With all scheduled agenda items completed and resolutions successfully adopted, the 16th Plenary Meeting of ISO/TC 249 concluded successfully.

Group photo of delegates attending the 16th Plenary Meeting of ISO/TC 249

Zhao Hong delivers remarks at the meeting

The published research paper, Standardization for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture: An International and Australian Perspective