BEIJING - China will protect and promote traditional Chinese medicine, according to the first five-year plan on the subject released on Monday.

The plan, effective until 2020, was released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SATCM).

Wild herbs will be protected; a fourth national census of resources will take place; a network to monitoring resources will be established; innovation on technology, production and development of medicine will be advanced; and quality of medicine will be assured.

Mao Weiming, deputy chief of the MIIT, said that an orderly competitive market environment should be established.

The plan demands to better laws, regulations and rules to protect and improve the medicine, and asks for more fiscal and financial support for the industry.