Opening-up and cooperation a strong boost for economy
Editor's notes:
China is committed to broader, deeper and higher-level opening-up, with the ongoing China International Import Expo a platform to show the strong determination. This year, the CIIE and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, a significant part of the CIIE, was put under some major sessions, namely, Opening-up for Development, Opening-up for Cooperation, Opening-up for Innovation, Opening-up for Sharing, as well as Belt and Road Initiative, all of which shed light on China's route of further openness.
China is focusing on high-quality opening-up and innovation-driven development to boost further growth and international cooperation, officials said at the Hongqiao International Economic Forum during the sixth China International Import Expo.
The annual expo has leveraged the strengths of China's enormous market and fulfilled its platform function for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people exchanges, and open cooperation, and made positive contributions to creating a new development pattern and promoting world economic development, said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a letter to the CIIE.
He pledged that China would firmly advance high-standard opening up and continue to make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial to all, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Premier Li Qiang also reiterated a commitment to further expanding opening up and sharing of China's development opportunities with the rest of the world, during a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the CIIE and Hongqiao forum on Sunday.
"China is willing to step up cooperation with all countries in innovation, facilitate the deep integration of science and technology with the economy, promote the sharing of innovation results, and strive to remove barriers that hamper the flow of knowledge, technology, talent and other factors of innovation," Li said.
The premier also hailed the CIIE as a major platform full of opportunities to enhance global economic and trade cooperation.
Gilead Sciences has expanded this year's booth at the CIIE five-fold to showcase its innovative products.
Multinational companies participating in the CIIE expressed their strong confidence in "staying in China, developing in China" and said the expo is an international stage for sharing opportunities and promoting exchanges and cooperation.
Jim Jin, vice president and China general manager of Gilead Sciences, said the company would increase its investment and expand its clinical research cooperation in China to boost its local research and development ability and speed up the introduction of its innovative projects to China through cooperation with domestic medical resources and partners.
"We have fully enjoyed the benefits and overflow effects of participating in CIIE last year after receiving many opportunities and speeding up the approval of our innovation medicines in China," Jin said.
"So we expanded this year's booth by five times to show our innovative products on virology, oncology and mycology. We also set up a R&D section for the first time to display our global R&D arrangement and our clinical research in China and plans of our new drug application in China."
Roche Pharmaceuticals China shows "30" at its booth at CIIE, indicating it will have its 30th anniversary in China.
Many cooperation agreements were also signed at the CIIE.
Health-care giant Roche Diagnostics announced it had reached cooperation with Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City Management Bureau to set up a multi-omics joint laboratory and individualized diagnosis regional center to boost medical innovation and improve health capability in Hainan Province.
Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City is an important zone of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Thus far, it hosts over 100 enterprises in the life health industry, covering medical appliances, genetic testing, and digital medicine.
Richard Yiu, general manager of Roche Diagnostics China, said that developing in the country for more than 20 years, Roche Diagnostics has been committed to its ethos of 'in China, for China,' and dedicated to teaming with excellent domestic industry partners to push the innovative growth of precise medicine,
"The CIIE not only enables us to showcase our innovative products to the entire world and boost economic and trade exchanges, but also offers an excellent opportunity for Roche Diagnostics to achieve collaboration with more domestic partners," he said.
Health-care giant Roche Diagnostics announces its cooperation with Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City Management Bureau during the CIIE.
Jean-Christophe Pointeau, president of Pfizer China, said that through the CIIE, Pfizer has already transformed eight innovative products from exhibits to commodities, effectively benefiting Chinese patients. Pfizer's presence at the expo this year demonstrates its full recognition of this platform and its commitment to remain rooted in China and to benefit Chinese patients.
He said Pfizer is further introducing its R&D in China into its global system. "By 2027, Pfizer China R&D Center will participate in all of Pfizer's global pivotal Phase III clinical trials. This goal will undoubtedly provide Chinese patients with faster, even globally synchronized, access to Pfizer's world-leading breakthrough innovations," he said.
