On the afternoon of December 19, Yin Yong, Mayor of Beijing, met with Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, via video link.

Yin highlighted China’s vast market and development potential, which remain attractive to enterprises worldwide. Beijing boasts abundant medical science, education and clinical resources, and is characterized by a robust demand in the healthcare market and a thriving pharmaceutical industry. In recent years, the medical and health sector has been prioritized in the development of high-end, precision and cutting-edge industries. We have been accelerating the establishment of high-level, research-oriented hospitals, vigorously developing innovative drugs and medical devices, and piloting reforms in the medical and health sector, so as to build a comprehensive ecosystem across the industrial chain. With such efforts, a north-south collaborative development pattern in the medical and health sector has been formed in Beijing. Yin expressed his hope for AstraZeneca to leverage Beijing’s strengths in basic medical research and industry growth to expand its R&D and business presence in the city and strengthen R&D collaboration with local innovators such as universities, research institutions, and enterprises. This will facilitate the commercialization of more research results in Beijing, achieving mutual benefit at higher levels. Beijing will continue to improve its “service packages” and “steward services” mechanisms, fully supporting enterprises developing in the city.

Confident in China’s economic prospects, Soriot expressed his commitment to exploring the Beijing market, increasing investment in R&D and production in the city, and strengthening collaboration with local institutions to help Beijing build a medical and health ecosystem.

Jin Wei, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Beijing, and Zeng Jin, Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, attended the meeting.