Services opening-up seen spurring medtech boom

China's expanding trade in services, coupled with its vast healthcare market and improving regulatory environment, is creating fresh opportunities for multinational medical technology companies to introduce advanced solutions and deepen collaboration with local innovators, a senior executive said.

The China International Fair for Trade in Services, or CIFTIS, which will open in Beijing on Sept 9, has become a key platform for turning those opportunities into tangible outcomes and moving medical innovations from exhibition to clinical application, he said.

"What sets this platform apart is its ability to turn conversations into action. It is more than a showcase — it is a catalyst," Edward Zhou, president of Johnson & Johnson MedTech China, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

J&J MedTech, the medical technology arm of US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson, has participated in CIFTIS for several years, Zhou said.

This year, the company will showcase more than 60 products, about one-third of which will make their CIFTIS debut, including the Carina modular laparoscopic surgical robot developed by Shanghai-based Ronovo Surgical.

It also plans to work with a leading hospital in Beijing to establish a training and demonstration center for modular surgical robots to support physician training and clinical adoption, Zhou said.

Impella, a heart pump showcased by J&J MedTech at last year's fair, was later granted temporary import approval under a framework allowing innovative medical devices to be brought in to meet urgent clinical needs and is now in use at leading cardiac centers in Beijing.

"China is playing an increasingly active role in the global healthcare services ecosystem," he said, adding that the country's clinical data resources, digital infrastructure and research talent are contributing to medical innovation worldwide.

The shift is being underpinned by a stronger policy push. This year's Government Work Report said China will "expand market access and open up more areas, particularly in the services sector" and "shorten the negative list for cross-border trade in services".

Beijing has expanded the application of its data-export negative list from its pilot free trade zone to the entire city, covering nine sectors including medical devices.

Zhou said J&J MedTech is enhancing ties with domestic innovators through product co-development and commercial arrangements aimed at facilitating market access and incorporating clinical insights from China into its global innovation network.

Such efforts include collaborations with CED Medical and Pulse Medical on neurosurgical interventions and a left atrial appendage occlusion device, respectively, while its strategic partnership with Ronovo Surgical seeks to accelerate the adoption of robotic-assisted surgery in China.

The partnerships demonstrate the potential of combining global expertise with local innovation, Zhou said.

Wang Peng, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said China's vast market, well-developed industrial ecosystem and continued services-sector opening-up have provided fertile ground for global businesses seeking to tap rising demand for higher-quality services.

"Foreign companies can leverage their expertise to play a greater role in China's expanding services market and benefit as consumer spending shifts toward higher-quality services."

Looking ahead, Zhou said J&J MedTech will focus on advanced manufacturing and medtech innovation as it expands its presence in China.

The company has established a localized production line for electrophysiology devices at its campus in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, as well as Technology and Innovation Hubs in Beijing focused on digital health, professional education and electrophysiology.

"Our priority is on deepening our local footprint and becoming more fully integrated into China's healthcare ecosystem," he added.

zhangchenxu@chinadaily.com.cn