GE Healthcare Showcases 23 Innovative Medical Devices at CMEF, with 14 Made in China Accounting for Over Half

Original Title: GE Healthcare's 23 Latest Innovations Unveiled at Medical Device Exhibition: 14 China-Made Products Account for Over Half

On May 13, a reporter from The Paper learned at the 84th China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF) that GE Healthcare showcased 23 medical technologies and domestically produced innovative products. Notably, 14 of the exhibited innovative items were China-made, accounting for more than half.

Since 2010, policies supporting domestically produced medical equipment have continuously been introduced at both the national and local levels. For example, the *Outline of the “Healthy China 2030” Plan* issued in 2016 states that by 2030, the international market share of new drugs and diagnostic and therapeutic equipment with independent intellectual property rights will increase significantly, and the localization rate of the high-end medical equipment market will also see a substantial rise.

During this year's “Two Sessions”, some deputies also proposed supporting the development of domestically produced medical equipment, mastering core technologies, and avoiding the risk of a “chokehold”. The recently published 《Opinions on Several Special Measures to Support the Construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port by Relaxing Market Access》 also explicitly called for supporting the innovative development of domestically produced high-end medical equipment.

In light of these circumstances, multinational medical device companies such as GE Healthcare have begun pursuing localization and production in China. GE Healthcare formulated its comprehensive production-in-China strategy at an early stage. During this exhibition, GE Healthcare launched a new China-focused 256-slice CT product—the Revolution CT VICTOR. Manufactured at GE Healthcare’s Beijing imaging equipment manufacturing base, this device stands as the latest representative achievement of its comprehensive production-in-China strategy.

Chen Heqiang, General Manager of the GE HealthCare Beijing Imaging Equipment Manufacturing Base, told reporters from The Paper that current localization is no longer simply a matter of introducing, absorbing, and digesting imported technologies. In fact, GE HealthCare's localization is an integral part of globalization. In recent years, the GE HealthCare Beijing manufacturing base has grown rapidly in the local production of CT equipment components, leading the world in both product design and manufacturing processes. Some of these processes have even been adopted by GE HealthCare’s U.S. factories, serving as compelling proof of Chinese ingenuity giving back to the world.

Chen Zongxi, General Manager of the CT Business at GE Healthcare China, stated that localization is not merely about manufacturing the equipment itself in China, but more importantly, it encompasses the localization of the supply chain and local talent. GE Healthcare's comprehensive localization strategy in China is not simply about establishing a production line here, but also about having R&D personnel based in China.

Reporters from The Paper learned from GE HealthCare that two out of every three GE HealthCare devices worldwide are manufactured at its Beijing plant. GE HealthCare China employs between 6,000 and 7,000 staff members; in addition to its commercial and service teams, over 1,000 R&D professionals are from China. At GE HealthCare’s Beijing medical imaging equipment manufacturing base, 85% of the components for its medical devices are manufactured in China.