China News Service, September 30 - On September 27, the 5th China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Investment Conference (hereinafter referred to as the "Venture Capital Conference") was held in Suzhou Industrial Park. This conference was jointly organized by the China Pharmaceutical Innovation Promotion Association (hereinafter referred to as "China Pharma Promotion Association"), China Medical Device Industry Association, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and Aimeda Pharmaceutical Consulting. The conference attracted nearly 2,000 representatives from over 100 domestic and foreign investment institutions, pharmaceutical innovation enterprises, and research institutes.

　　Song Ruilin, Executive President of China Pharmaceutical Innovation Promotion Association

　　This Venture Capital Conference adheres to the purpose of "promoting the integration of domestic and foreign social capital with pharmaceutical innovation, enhancing the innovation capability of China's pharmaceutical industry." It deeply explores the development direction of pharmaceutical innovation and investment in the post-pandemic era, showcasing China's strong momentum in pharmaceutical innovation to the world, and building an efficient and precisely matched high-end dialogue and cooperation platform for domestic and foreign pharmaceutical innovation projects, scientists, and investors.

　　Ren Jinsheng, Annual President of China Pharmaceutical Innovation Promotion Association, stated in his speech that 2020 was an extraordinary year. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global economy, and China's biopharmaceutical industry faces uncertainties and unprecedented challenges. The next five years will be a critical opportunity period for the transformation and upgrading of China's biopharmaceutical industry. China's pharmaceutical innovation and investment should not only focus on the internal circulation of market and resource elements but also leverage Chinese elements and advantages, vigorously promote external exchanges and cooperation, and use openness and cooperation to advance pharmaceutical innovation and investment. This will contribute China's strength to global innovation and investment in the life sciences field.

　　Due to the pandemic, Li Xiaojia, CEO of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, could not attend in person but sent a speech via video. CEO Li stated that currently, 154 various health and pharmaceutical companies are listed in Hong Kong, with a market value reaching 2.6 trillion. Among these 154 companies, 20 biotechnology companies are listed under Chapter 18A of the listing rules. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange fully determines listing frequency, timing, and various rules based on market principles, rules, and supply-demand, gradually maturing the market. The improvement of the ecosystem requires joint efforts. As a major global financing platform, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange strives to become a booster for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, promoting industrial development.

　　Release of the "China's Most Investment-Worthy Biopharmaceutical Innovation Cities Research" project

　　Chen Deming, President of the China Association of Foreign-invested Enterprises, stated in his speech that foreign-funded pharmaceutical companies are members of the big family of Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises and should unconditionally participate in China's pharmaceutical innovation and investment. In practice, foreign-funded pharmaceutical companies generally have high R&D levels, strict quality control, and good therapeutic effects, representing and leading innovation and investment. Foreign-funded pharmaceutical companies should actively integrate into and serve China's public health undertakings. Against the backdrop of the global fight against the pandemic this year, the Chinese government has for the first time included biopharmaceuticals in the category of pillar industries, comprehensively enhancing the innovation and development capabilities of the biopharmaceutical industry. Foreign-funded pharmaceutical companies are willing to make their best efforts for biopharmaceutical innovation and investment. They hope to continue to unite and cooperate with domestic and foreign peers in R&D, contributing to the health cause of the Chinese people as always.

　　At the conference, the "China's Most Investment-Worthy Biopharmaceutical Innovation Cities Research" project was released, and the list of "China's Most Investment-Worthy Biopharmaceutical Innovation Cities" was announced for the first time at this forum. Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Chongqing ranked among the top ten cities, leading the nation.

　　"With the continuous improvement of China's pharmaceutical innovation environment, our country has moved from the third tier to the second tier in the global pharmaceutical innovation landscape. In this process, we first felt the government's strong support for the pharmaceutical industry, but the homogenization and mutual imitation and restructuring of industrial parks across regions have become increasingly serious," said President Song Ruilin. He introduced that the Pharmaceutical Innovation City Development Forum and the "China's Most Investment-Worthy Biopharmaceutical Innovation Cities Research" project aim to establish a measurement standard using international perspectives and experience, helping city builders clearly understand the essential elements on which a well-developed park depends.

　　"From the experience of industrial development factors in domestic and foreign cities, the development of the biological industry mainly consists of six major elements, forming a 'paperclip-style' system. The ranking of China's most investment-worthy biopharmaceutical innovation cities is based on the China Biopharmaceutical Innovation Index, scoring and ranking cities from six aspects: infrastructure, policy support, R&D resources, innovation system, capital system, and enterprise capability. Overall, infrastructure and policy support are relatively comprehensive nationwide, showing a preliminary normal distribution trend, while the accumulation of R&D resources, innovation system construction, capital system, and enterprise capability vary among cities. Except for Shanghai and Beijing, other top-ranked cities have advantages in different fields," said Song Ruilin, Executive President of China Pharmaceutical Innovation Promotion Association.

　　It is understood that since 2016, the Venture Capital Conference has been successfully held five times and is known as the most watched annual pharmaceutical investment event in the Asia-Pacific region, highly recognized and widely praised by the pharmaceutical and investment sectors. It has gradually become an internationally influential, authoritative, and diversified platform for interpreting China's pharmaceutical and investment policies, showcasing domestic and foreign pharmaceutical innovation achievements, and leading new investment trends, as well as a platform for authoritative cooperation and exchange in achievement transformation.

　　This conference promoted in-depth cooperation between global capital and China's pharmaceutical innovation under the COVID-19 pandemic, deepened the understanding of global capital and the pharmaceutical innovation industry about the development trends of pharmaceutical innovation and investment in China and worldwide, contributed to fully releasing pharmaceutical innovation vitality and timely, efficient transformation of innovation achievements, and will have a more positive and important impact on promoting the transformation, upgrading, and innovative development of China's pharmaceutical industry. It contributes to promoting the pharmaceutical industry’s shift from generic to innovative drugs, meeting clinical medication needs, and building a Healthy China.