Wuxi top official, Li Xiaomin, met a UK delegation led by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and British Ambassador to China Barbara Woodward for the ribbon cutting ceremony of AstraZeneca's injection production base on Dec 7.

The British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has had a production base in the Wuxi National Hi-Tech District (WND) since 2001, investing a total of 3.24 billion yuan ($500 milion) in the site. After years of development, the Wuxi base has become the production, sales and logistics distribution center for AstraZeneca in the Asia-Pacific region.

At a cost of $75 million, the new production line applies advanced facilities and technology to triple the capacity of the company's current production facility.

Li extended a warm welcome to the UK delegation, and expressed his congratulations for the operation of AstraZeneca's new production line. He also praised the UK’s advanced medical service system and bio-pharmaceutical industry.

Wuxi and AstraZeneca's partnership has been the epitome of Sino-UK cooperation in the field of medicine and health over the past 40 years, owing to the the company's care for Chinese patients, he said.

Li also expressed his hope that AstraZeneca's cooperation with Wuxi will be extended to additional fields for the development of the medical industry and the well-being of local residents, as Wuxi is following the national Healthy China 2030 plan, making efforts to build a healthy Wuxi. He also pledged to provide continuous support for AstraZeneca's further development in the city.

Jeremy Hunt complimented Wuxi's development in logistics and the pharmaceutical industry, regarding the city as the UK's most popular investment destinations in China.

Hunt expressed that AstraZeneca's solid and profound relationship with Wuxi and Jiangsu is a good demonstration of Sino-UK cooperation for the benefit of Chinese patients. The UK is looking forward to further cooperation in the medical treatment and health fields within China.

China is now the world's second-largest economy and AstraZeneca's second-largest market. AstraZeneca launched its "China Acceleration" strategic plan in 2015 to further its development in the Chinese market.

In 2016, AstraZeneca not only furthered its investment in medicine R&D in the city, but also revealed its plan to establish an Internet of Things (IoT) - based business innovation center in November after the World Internet of Things Exposition (WIOT).