Global drugmaker aims to showcase products, tap middle-income group

Editor's Note: The upcoming China International Import Expo shows China's determination to expand its opening-up for deeper economic exchange and communication with the rest of the world. China Daily interviewed top executives of well-known multinational companies for their views on the expo and China's further opening-up. For this issue, we talk to Leon Wang, executive vice-president at AstraZeneca.

Q: The China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November is one of the biggest events to take place in China this year. How does AstraZeneca view the event?

A: It shows not only the development and rise of China under the policy of reform and opening-up, but also presents a national image that is open, inclusive and reciprocal - and, importantly, committed to promoting the development of the regional and global economies in this exciting new era.

CIIE establishes a platform to introduce beneficial, unique, competitive, and innovative goods and services from around the world to China, a tremendous market with a population of 1.4 billion people.

Hosting the expo manifests the people-centered development concept of the Chinese government. The expo is also an open market and platform through which China can actively source products and services from overseas markets into its domestic market, sending out a clear message that the country is determined to deepen reform and opening-up.

Q: How important is it for a company such as AstraZeneca to participate in an event like this? What do you hope to gain from taking part? Is it about achieving sales or raising your profile?

A: CIIE will do more than serve as a global trade platform. It sends a signal of opening-up and partnership, providing a development roadmap aimed to steer economic globalization in a more open, inclusive, reciprocal and win-win manner. It gives inspiration and positive guidance for AstraZeneca's future development strategy in China.

China is our second-largest market globally. Actively participating in CIIE, as part of our efforts to facilitate innovative medicine development and business innovation exchanges, is therefore of great significance to AstraZeneca. And we will continue our commitment to the Chinese market and be a contributive driver to achieving the longterm goals of the Healthy China 2030 Blueprint.

It is not only about achieving sales or raising our profile, but inspired by the spirit of CIIE, we hope to introduce our global expertise in various therapy areas to China. We want to learn from and integrate with the successful practice of the healthcare internet of things in China, to generate innovative sparks, so as to meet and address the changing and upgrading medical needs and pain points in China, providing Chinese patients with brand new solutions.

Q: China's growing middle-income group is one of the megatrends of this century. This will lead to greater demand for medical services and pharmaceuticals. How does AstraZeneca hope to position itself, to take advantage of this trend?

A: With higher economic growth and personal incomes, people are demanding more and better healthcare. The need for precise, personalized and smart treatment, with affordable and accessible healthcare services, is increasing. This requires more investment in the medical industry, wider cooperation among the government, hospitals and enterprises, and continuous innovation. It also requires better talent training and improvement of R&D capabilities.

With the opening-up of China, AstraZeneca has chances to build long-term partnerships with academic, scientific and business communities in China, with the ambition to make more quality medicines and complete disease solutions available to patients. The government has optimized a friendly business environment for foreign enterprises, and opened wider for foreign investments and cooperation.

Q: Do you think the expo, with its particular stress on imports, will highlight the fact that China's economy is changing, and that in future it will be the world's biggest consumer?

A: China is the second-largest economy and is increasingly playing an important and influential role in the global economy. As a multinational pharmaceutical company in China, we have benefited from the reform and opening-up policy. Policies removed hurdles to allow new medicines and the benefits of health innovations to reach more Chinese patients, faster.

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, China has grown from a participant to a major contributor of globalization. We've witnessed that China's experience, China's practices and China's success are playing an increasingly important role on the global stage, benefiting more people in different countries and regions.

Q: What would you like to see in terms of further opening-up of the pharmaceutical sector?

A: The achievement of China's 40 years of economic reform is unprecedented in every aspect in terms of scale and scope. In the area of medical treatment and healthcare, China has made major progress in expanding social health insurance, reforming public hospitals and enhancing primary healthcare. In the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) of China, the country has escalated the Healthy China 2030 strategy to the national level, aiming to establish a mature and comprehensive healthcare system by 2030. Such commitment and determination has captured the world's attention.

We are glad to see that in past decades, China's central government announced a series of healthcare reforms to establish a basic, universal health system that can provide safe, effective, convenient, and low-cost health services. The reform affects most facets of healthcare delivery, including health insurance, primary care, hospital management, medications and public health. China also encourages cooperation with foreign pharmaceutical companies. All these involve better planning, coordination and cooperation, which is really impressive.