CBC Group: Building a Life Sciences Innovation Ecosystem to Empower Medical Device 'New Infrastructure'

According to data from China Customs, the total import and export value of China’s medical devices reached $84.55 billion in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 1.89%, marking a significant stabilization compared to the previous year. Among this, exports amounted to $48.75 billion, up by 7.3% year on year, returning to the “fast lane” of growth after three years; imports totaled $35.8 billion, down by 4.7% year on year, reflecting the continued deepening of domestic substitution. The annual trade surplus reached $12.95 billion. Notably, in the same year, 65 innovative medical devices received approval domestically, setting a new historical record.

Amid a complex environment characterized by a slowing global economic recovery, accelerated restructuring of industrial chain patterns, and intertwined geopolitical risks, China’s medical device foreign trade has leveraged innovation-driven strategies and structural optimization as breakthroughs, demonstrating distinct features of “resilient recovery and momentum transition.”

Meanwhile, as centralized procurement policies continue to deepen and the global healthcare industry landscape undergoes accelerated restructuring, the medical sector is facing multiple challenges. With the number of approved innovative domestic medical devices rising year after year, going global has become a new benchmark for assessing corporate vitality. However, the market penetration rate of high-end products in overseas markets remains insufficient. This structural contradiction highlights the need for full-chain support for enterprises, spanning from R&D incubation and commercialization to market expansion.

Recently, the “Kangqiao Innovation Empowerment Series—2025 Kangqiao Wuzhong Life Science Park Exchange Meeting,” hosted by CBC Healthcare Infrastructure Platform (CBC HIP), the life sciences infrastructure investment platform under Kangqiao Capital, was successfully held. The event attracted numerous representatives from innovative enterprises in the medical device and in vitro diagnostics (IVD) sectors. Focusing on key topics such as park-based empowerment models and the formulation and execution of overseas expansion strategies, the meeting provided attendees with an efficient and open platform for exchange.

The medical device industry is characterized by a high degree of concentration, requiring cross-disciplinary integration and technological convergence among the pharmaceutical, electronics, and machinery sectors. Suzhou, as a hub with a strong cluster of manufacturing and biopharmaceutical industries, offers an ideal location for such integration. Therefore, establishing a presence in the Wuzhong Industrial Park in Suzhou can provide a comprehensive platform integrating R&D, production, and services for the medical device industry, accelerating the transformation of innovative achievements and promoting industrial agglomeration and coordinated development. By offering professional services, technical support, and resource sharing, the park can reduce corporate costs, enhance innovation efficiency, and ultimately drive the overall development of the medical device industry.

 Chen Chen, Managing Director of CBC HIP

Chen Chen, Managing Director of CBC HIP, stated that the original intention behind the park’s development was to provide enterprises with a more favorable environment for growth. He provided a detailed introduction to CBC HIP’s real estate fund solutions, highlighting how the company leverages the synergistic operation of its “three cities and four parks” in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou to build a comprehensive infrastructure network covering the entire value chain—from R&D incubation and large-scale production to cross-border commercialization. The core strategy of the parks is to facilitate enterprises’ access to diverse resources. This includes assisting companies in securing support from local governments and industry regulators, connecting them with capital markets and various financial instruments, linking them with leading industry players and Kangqiao’s internal industrial resources, and providing tailored industrial facility solutions. These services help enterprises convert capital expenditures (CapEx) into operational expenditures (OpEx), optimize cash flow, support their global expansion, and expand their network of business partners.

CBC HIP Director of Business Development, Liu Menghan

As a milestone in the deepened cooperation between CBC HIP and Wuzhong District, Suzhou, the Kangqiao Wuzhong Life Science Industrial Park covers an area of 58 mu, with a total floor area of approximately 130,000 square meters. The platform provides customized support to enterprises through innovative models such as advancing funds for initial renovation and offering rent rebates, thereby alleviating the financial burden of initial investments. By leveraging diversified investment layouts, a collaborative industrial ecosystem, and comprehensive service support, CBC HIP empowers life science companies, facilitating their rapid growth amidst a complex and dynamic market environment.

As an important component of Suzhou, Wuzhong District has achieved an output value of RMB 140 billion in the robotics and intelligent manufacturing industry, and RMB 44.1 billion in the biopharmaceutical industry, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.6%. It ranks 16th in the national competitiveness ranking of biopharmaceutical industrial parks.

Wuzhong District supports industrial development through multi-tiered policy measures, providing subsidies and talent incentives for early-stage R&D enterprises, offering targeted support for each phase of new drug clinical trials, and establishing a special fund of RMB 5 billion, part of which is used for direct investment and part as an LP in top-tier funds, while fostering collaborations with renowned enterprises.

At the roundtable discussion on strategies and practices for the overseas commercialization of medical devices, experts engaged in in-depth exchanges centered on strategy and practice:

Qiu Minglu, General Manager of International Business at Saixing Investment: Emphasized the stringent criteria for product selection, with a focus on market adaptability, regulatory compliance, and sales potential, while prioritizing meticulous evaluation across five dimensions: personnel, equipment, materials, methods, and finance. Saixing facilitates companies’ integration into domestic and international markets through resource consolidation and alignment of production with sales.

Zhou Yi, Founder and CEO of VCBeat Consulting: Drawing on his extensive experience in international marketing over many years, he pointed out that cognitive barriers are the primary challenge for most companies seeking to expand into global markets. He also provided examples illustrating the differentiated demands of customers in various markets regarding products and enterprises. Furthermore, he introduced VCBeat’s 12-Module Theory of International Marketing, which helps companies formulate strategies tailored to local conditions.

Dawn Medical Technologies BD and Strategy Lead, Zhang Ruizhi: Emphasized that the overseas expansion strategy aligns with domestic logic, requiring precise positioning, pricing, and promotion centered on product characteristics, market demand, and competitive landscape to meet both clinical and non-clinical needs.

Zeng Tiantian, Head of Medical Registration at Xiyi: It is recommended that companies develop a globalization strategy by clearly defining prerequisites (such as local agent requirements) and post-requisites, integrating localized services, assessing patent and trademark risks, and planning ahead. This approach fosters an “overseas expansion ecosystem for medical devices” involving manufacturers, regulatory affairs service providers, and marketing enterprises. Professional matters should be evaluated by qualified experts to ensure the steady and robust progress of international expansion.

From left to right: Lei Yang, Deputy General Manager of VCBeat Select; Qiu Minglu, General Manager of International Business at Saixing Investment; Zhou Yi, Founder and CEO of Weike Consulting; Zhang Ruizhi, Head of BD and Strategy at Dawn Medical Technologies; Zeng Tiantian, Head of Medical Registration at Xiyi Medicine

As a key event in the “Kangqiao Innovation Empowerment Series,” the 2025 Kangqiao Wuzhong Life Science Park Exchange Meeting established an efficient communication bridge for medical device companies, facilitating the sharing of overseas expansion strategies and resource matching to help them gain a competitive edge in the global market. Moving forward, CBC HIP will continue to host similar seminars in core regions of China’s healthcare industry, deepening industrial empowerment and accelerating the internationalization of Chinese medical device enterprises, thereby contributing to the global life science innovation ecosystem.