Johor looks at developing traditional Chinese cures

Star: MUAR: Johor is looking into developing traditional Chinese medicine as alternative therapy.
Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the state and Shenyang Pharmaceutical University in north-eastern China had agreed to jointly research herbs used by Chinese scientists as traditional medicine.
He said the Chinese university had been conducting research on herbal products for over 75 years and had vast experience in traditional medicine.
“We decided to set up an exchange programme between Shenyang Pharmaceutical University and a university in Johor,” he told reporters after presenting educational aid to students in the Ledang division in Tangkak yesterday.
Abdul Ghani said Johor was rich in bio-diversity, especially herbal plants, and analytical studies could determine their properties and potential.
The mentri besar, who visited north-eastern China last week, said he was also impressed with Dalian, a modern city in Liaoning province.
He said Dalian had become an outsourcing centre for Japanese and Korean companies and he wanted Johor to adopt the city’s approach in developing the state’s outsourcing sector.
Abdul Ghani pointed out that in just over eight years Dalian had clinched some US$20bil (RM72bil) in outsourcing deals from 280 companies.
Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, Johor Baru has been earmarked as a service growth hub for the southern region and the state planned to make its capital an outsourcing centre, he said.
Abdul Ghani said he would propose that all companies within Johor Baru’s outsourcing centre be given incentives similar to those in the Multimedia Super Corridor.