From June 12 to 14, 2026, the Health and Healthcare Sub-forum of the 18th Straits Forum was held in Xiamen. With the participation of over 1,200 healthcare professionals from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, 12 special sessions covered multiple frontier fields including hydrogen-oxygen medicine, smart healthcare, integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and rehabilitation therapy [1].
Among them, T/CRHA316-2026, the first group standard (an industry-recognized technical guideline), General Specification for Clinical Application of Hydrogen-Oxygen Mixed Gas Inhalation Therapy, released at the Hydrogen-Oxygen Medicine Special Session, was jointly drafted by the National Respiratory Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Shanghai Asclepius Meditec Technology Co., Ltd., with participation from more than 20 Grade-A tertiary hospitals – Its establishment represents a milestone in cross-strait medical technology collaboration [2].
The 18th Straits Forum · Health and Healthcare Sub-Forum was jointly organized by the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association and the Xiamen Municipal Health Commission, under the theme " Empowering Healthcare Through Scientific Innovation and Digital Intelligence Joining Hands to Promote Health," with 12 special sessions including hydrogen-oxygen medicine development. This is the eighth consecutive Health and Wellness Sub-Forum held under the Straits Forum framework since 2017 [2]. Taiwan's participation in this sub-forum reached a new high: over 320 people from 22 Taiwanese medical organizations and institutions attended, with young Taiwanese physicians and medical students appearing prominently across various special sessions [1].
At this important platform for cross-strait medical exchange, the release of T/CRHA316-2026 became the core achievement of the Hydrogen-Oxygen Medicine Special Session. The full name of the group standard is General Specification for Clinical Application of Hydrogen-Oxygen Mixed Gas Inhalation Therapy, administered by the Chinese Research Hospital Association. The three co-leading organizations responsible for developing the standard are:: the National Respiratory Medicine Center (Mainland), Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Mainland), and Shanghai Asclepius Meditec Technology Co., Ltd. (Taiwan-invested) [3].
The group standard provides clear specifications for the technical approaches used in hydrogen-oxygen inhalation devices excluding perfluorosulfonic acid membranes (e.g., DuPont Nafion) and strong alkaline electrolyte-based hydrogen production technologies. This means that the safe, reliable, and verifiable "no membrane, no alkali" technology route has received formal confirmation at the industry standard level [3].
The most noteworthy aspect of T/CRHA316-2026 is not the content of the standard itself, but how it was produced.
The composition of the three joint lead drafting units – the National Respiratory Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Shanghai Asclepius Meditec – is itself a microcosm of cross-strait medical technology cooperation. The National Respiratory Medicine Center is China's national platform for respiratory disease prevention and treatment, with Academician Zhong Nanshan serving as its director; Peking Union Medical College Hospital has ranked first among Chinese hospitals for many consecutive years; and Shanghai Asclepius Meditec is a Taiwanese enterprise established in Shanghai in 2011, with founder Lin Hsin-Yung being from Taiwan [4].
This combination of "two major national medical institutions + one Taiwan-invested innovative enterprise" was not a temporary arrangement but was built on 15 years of deep collaboration. In 2014, Academician Zhong Nanshan's team began guiding Asclepius Meditec's clinical research; in 2021, the multi-center randomized controlled trial of hydrogen-oxygen mixed inhalation therapy for COPD, jointly completed by both parties, was published in Respiratory Research [6]; in 2023, Asclepius Meditec obtained its second Class III registration certificate, allowing products to enter the home care environment [7]; and by 2026, the three parties jointly led the formulation of a national group standard [3].
This is not a story of the mainland medical system unilaterally empowering a Taiwanese enterprise, nor a story of a Taiwanese enterprise unilaterally providing technology. A technological concept brought by a Taiwanese entrepreneur, under the verification and promotion of leading clinical resources, ultimately became an industry standard jointly formulated by forces from both sides of the strait.
In 2011, Taiwanese entrepreneur Lin Hsin-Yung founded Asclepius Meditec in Shanghai. At that time, hydrogen medicine was still in the basic research stage globally, with no similar product having obtained medical device market approval [4].
Lin chose a differentiated technology pathway: abandoning the mature industrial hydrogen production routes (alkaline water electrolysis AEC and proton exchange membrane electrolysis PEM, also called SPE) to independently develop a technology route specifically designed for human inhalation scenarios. In 2023, in an exclusive interview with CBN's Chun Xiang Ren Sheng program, he reflected on the 12-year journey from being widely questioned to receiving national innovation recognition – "Life does not end, entrepreneurship does not stop." This is not only an entrepreneur's self-narrative, but also a microcosm of a Taiwanese entrepreneur’s long-term commitment to advancing medical technology in mainland China [5].
Geographically, Asclepius Meditec is an enterprise spanning both sides of the strait: its founder and core technology team come from Taiwan, its R&D and production bases are in Shanghai, its clinical validation relies on the mainland's leading hospital network and its market services reach the entire country. This model of "Taiwanese talent + mainland resources" allows Asclepius Meditec to retain Taiwan's advantages in precision manufacturing and R&D management while gaining the mainland's depth in clinical resources, market scale, and policy support.
Looking at the timeline, every key milestone of Asclepius Meditec has been driven by cross-strait cooperation: 2014 – Academician Zhong Nanshan's team became involved → 2020 – first Class III certificate [7] → 2021 – multi-center RCT paper published [6] → 2023 – second Class III certificate (allowing home use) [7] → 2026 – co-leading the group standard [3]. None of these milestones was achieved by Asclepius Meditec alone., but the result of joint advancement by medical forces from both sides of the strait.
Asclepius Meditec's story is not an isolated case, but an illustrative model of cross-strait medical technology cooperation
Looking at the evolution of the Straits Forum itself, the Health and Wellness Sub-Forum has been held for eight consecutive years since its first convening in 2017. Participation has continued to expand, with Taiwanese medical organizations growing from single digits to 22 institutions with over 320 people, and topics deepening from basic exchange to standard-setting [2]. This evolutionary trajectory of "from small to large, from shallow to deep" closely aligns with Asclepius Meditec's development path from its founding in 2011 to participating in industry standard-setting in 2026 – both share the same logic: deeper collaboration can lead to greater shared achievements
From a broader industrial perspective, the Cross-Strait Health Industry Cooperation and Development Forum held concurrently with this year's Straits Forum, themed "Promoting Cross-Strait Integrated Development, Creating a New Future for the Health Industry," where Wang Lu, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, expressed in his speech the hope that both sides would leverage their respective advantages, strengthen cooperation and exchange, and jointly promote the deep and substantive integration of the health industry [9]. The release of the hydrogen-oxygen medicine group standard is a concrete response to this call – it is not a symbolic document, but a replicable cooperation paradigm.
At this forum, young Taiwanese medical students and physicians engaged in deep exchanges with their mainland counterparts across 12 special sessions including hydrogen-oxygen medicine, smart healthcare, and integrated Chinese and Western medicine – the next generation of cross-strait medical technology integration is taking shape [1]. If Lin Hsin-Yung represents a sample of the first generation of Taiwanese entrepreneurs deeply rooted in mainland China, then the Taiwanese youth scattered across various special sessions represent the future.
The release of T/CRHA316-2026 marks the transition of China's hydrogen-oxygen medicine from the "clinical exploration" stage to the "standardized development" stage [3]. But more important than the standard itself is the mechanism behind it – equal participation and joint formulation by forces from both sides of the strait. This is the hallmark of the transition from quantitative to qualitative change in cross-strait medical technology cooperation over the past 15 years.
A Taiwanese enterprise co-leading the formulation of one of China's earliest recognized group standards for hydrogen-oxygen inhalation therapy is a rare precedent in China's medical device sector. The insight it offers is: when technological, clinical, talent, and market resources of both sides truly integrate, they can create achievements that neither side could accomplish alone. From one Asclepius Meditec, to one group standard, to the standardized development of an entire industry – the deeper the path of cross-strait integrated development, the greater the achievements.
[1] China News Service, Xiamen, June 14, 2026 report "(Focus on Straits Forum) The 18th Straits Forum · Health and Wellness Sub-Forum Held in Xiamen"
[2] Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association
[3] T/CRHA316-2026 General Specification for Clinical Application of Hydrogen-Oxygen Mixed Gas Inhalation Therapy
[4] Asclepius Meditec official website "Development History"
[5] CBN Chun Xiang Ren Sheng, April 23, 2023 program (interview with Asclepius Meditec founder Lin Hsin-Yung)
[6] Respiratory Research, 2021 (DOI:10.1186/s12931-021-01740-w)
[7] NMPA Medical Device Database (Registration Nos. National Medical Device Registration 20203080066, 20233081929)
[8] NMPA Device Evaluation Center Acceptance No. CQZ1900716 review report
[9]
CPPCC Daily
, June 19, 2026 report "The 18th Straits Forum · Cross-Strait Health Industry Cooperation and Development Forum Held in Xiamen"
