Hainan Launches International Digital Health Hub with 'Three Platforms + Industry Fund' Initiative

Hainan Leverages Unique Advantages of Free Trade Port to Accelerate Development of Digital Health IndustryOn January 18, Hainan State Farms Group (Haiken Group), WeDoctor Group, and the Haikou Jiangdong New Area Administrative Bureau signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Haikou. The three parties will jointly build the Hainan International Digital Health Port in Haikou, establish three major platforms—an International Health Education Platform, an International Health Services Platform, and an International Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Trading Platform—and co-launch the Hainan International Digital Health Industry Fund, thereby promoting the opening-up and high-quality development of Hainan’s health industry.

Figure | Hainan State Farms Group, WeDoctor Group, and Haikou Jiangdong New Area Administration Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement

Witnessed by Bao Hongwen, Party Secretary and Chairman of Hainan State Farms Group; Liao Jieyuan, Chairman of WeDoctor Group; Ai Yilun, General Manager of Hainan State Farms Group and Chairman of Hainan Rubber Group; and Zhang Xiaohan, Deputy Party Secretary and Director of the Haikou Jiangdong New Area Administration, Wang Mingkui, Deputy General Manager of Hainan State Farms Group; Jing Weiguo, Vice Chairman and President of WeDoctor Group; and Zhou Liang, Committee Member and Deputy Director of the Haikou Jiangdong New Area Administration, signed the agreement on behalf of the three parties.

Hainan is China’s largest special economic zone and its only Chinese-characteristic free trade port, possessing unique advantages in implementing comprehensive deepening of reforms and piloting the highest-level opening-up policies. The health industry is also a priority sector for development in the Hainan Free Trade Pilot Zone. A series of industrial policies, represented by the “Nine National Measures,” have made Hainan the “medical special zone” with the strongest policy support in China. The Hainan International Digital Health Port, jointly established through this tripartite collaboration, will become a hub for the “Three Major Platforms” and the digital health industry ecosystem.

It is reported that the International Health Education Platform will build upon the foundation of WeDoctor’s Hainan Health Management College to continuously enhance degree education and training programs for primary-care physicians. With a global focus, it will strengthen its specialties in health management and medical artificial intelligence, establishing a model for the integration of industry and education in vocational training. The International Health Services Platform will leverage WeDoctor’s digital-intelligent healthcare capabilities to collaborate with the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in promoting advanced medical technologies. It will also introduce commercial insurance to facilitate integrated operations across medical care, elderly care, and wellness, thereby supporting the development of Hainan’s health-and-wellness tourism industry. The International Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Trading Platform will capitalize on the foundational strengths of Haiken Group and WeDoctor Group to conduct digital trading of international pharmaceuticals and medical devices, as well as promote the trade and marketing of under-forest medicinal herbs and tropical health foods from Hainan Province.

Meanwhile, to drive the industrial agglomeration at the Hainan International Digital Health Port, the three parties will jointly establish a digital health industry fund with participation from state-owned capital and social capital, aimed at guiding the aggregation, integration, and development of the digital health industry chain in Hainan.

The “Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port,” issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, outlines 18 key tasks to be completed before 2025. In the healthcare sector, these include “supporting Hainan in vigorously introducing high-quality overseas medical resources,” “studying support for Hainan’s establishment of a regional medical center,” and “promoting leading domestic universities to introduce renowned foreign institutions to establish Sino-foreign cooperative educational entities with independent legal person status in the Hainan Free Trade Port.” Before 2025, Hainan will initiate island-wide customs closure operations at an appropriate time, further enhancing the policy advantages of the Free Trade Port.

At the signing ceremony, Liao Jieyuan, Chairman of WeDoctor Group, stated that WeDoctor will leverage the advantages of its digital-intelligent health platform to bring the innovative models and industry resources accumulated over more than a decade in the digital health sector to the Hainan International Digital Health Port. By capitalizing on the policies and resources of the Hainan Free Trade Port, WeDoctor aims to better drive the agglomeration of upstream and downstream industrial chains on this fertile ground for innovation in Hainan, working together to establish the International Digital Health Port as a benchmark for Hainan’s digital health industry.

As an internationally leading digital intelligence health platform, WeDoctor invested in and established Hainan Health Management Vocational and Technical College. Approved by the Ministry of Education and the Hainan Provincial Government, it is the first independently established higher vocational institution in China dedicated to health management and operated by non-governmental forces with nationwide unified enrollment. Over several years of development, the college has ranked among the top institutions of its kind in the province in terms of both admission application rates and employment rates, with the latter exceeding 90%. In August 2023, the Digital Therapeutics Innovation Application Project for Diabetes, awarded to WeDoctor by the Hainan Provincial Health Commission, was piloted in Dongfang City, creating a model for the prevention and control of chronic diseases through digital therapeutics in Hainan and across China.

Bao Hongwen, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Hainan State Farms Group (Haiken Group), expressed high expectations for this tripartite strategic cooperation and its project prospects. He stated that the collaboration among the three parties is a significant milestone in continuously deepening the integration between state farms and local governments, and in promoting the high-quality development of the state farm sector. It will also be a memorable and prominent chapter in the development of Hainan’s digital health industry. With a long-term perspective, complementary advantages, distinct characteristics, and broad scope for cooperation, the sincere and mutually beneficial partnership will undoubtedly yield substantial benefits, contributing jointly to the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port into a Chinese-style free trade port with global influence.

Zhang Xiaohan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Jiangdong New Area Administration, stated that Jiangdong New Area is focusing on the “4+X” industrial framework to build a cluster for modern service industries. The Hainan International Digital Health Port project aligns closely with the industrial orientation of Jiangdong New Area. This strong partnership represents a vivid practice of the three parties working together to promote the high-quality development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The implementation of the project will undoubtedly introduce a substantial amount of high-quality industrial resources, holding significant importance for Haikou’s industrial transformation, upgrading, and leapfrog development.