About 200,000 foreign patients come to China every year seeking traditional Chinese medicine treatment, a senior health official said Thursday.

Ma Jianzhong, deputy head of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told a medical exposition in Inner Mongolia autonomous region that traditional Chinese medicine had gained increased recognition around the world.

Ma said that other than treating hundreds of thousands of foreign patients, China trained about 13,000 foreign students in traditional Chinese medicine every year.

He said the country had also opened 16 overseas centers in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Based on Chinese philosophy and traditions, traditional Chinese medicine is entirely different medical from western medicine. It puts more emphasis on maintaining the balance and harmony of the human body's energy than treating specific ailments.

Some of the most widely known forms of traditional Chinese medicine include acupuncture, cupping, massage and herbal medicines.