China Expands Opening Up in the Medical Field: A New Era for Healthcare

The Ministry of Commerce spokesperson recently addressed questions from reporters regarding the pilot program of expanding opening up in the medical field.

Q&A: Expanding Opening Up in the Medical Field

Q: What is the significance of the pilot program of expanding opening up in the medical field?

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has deployed to expand independent opening up and promote orderly opening up in the fields of telecommunications, the Internet, education, culture, and medical care. In order to implement the deployment of the plenary session, promote high-quality development of China’s medical-related fields through expanded opening up, and better meet the medical and health needs of the people, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Health Commission, the National Medical Products Administration and other departments will promote the pilot expansion of opening up in the medical field in some regions.

Pilot Content and Objectives

The pilot content mainly includes: in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong Free Trade Pilot Zone and Hainan Free Trade Port, foreign-invested enterprises are allowed to engage in the development and application of human stem cells, genetic diagnosis and treatment technologies for product registration, listing and production; it is planned to allow the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in 9 places including Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.

Benefits and Future Plans

This pilot opening in the medical field is not only an important practice of China’s active and proactive expansion of independent opening up, but also a practical action by China to provide new development opportunities for enterprises from all over the world through opening up. In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will work closely with relevant departments such as health and medicine supervision to support and guide qualified foreign-funded enterprises to actively participate in the pilot according to law, and guide pilot areas to strengthen service guarantees to ensure that the pilot achieves practical results and that the results of opening up benefit the people better and faster.