Exclusive Interview with Ding Ning, Deputy District Mayor of Wenjiang, Chengdu: A Trillion-Yuan Medical City Awaits

As the sole government entity among the members of the Active Health Industry Alliance, what contributions has Wenjiang District made to fostering medical innovation in Sichuan Province, and what are its future plans? VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) conducted an exclusive interview with Ding Ning, Deputy District Mayor of Wenjiang District, to elucidate the district’s strategic layout in the healthcare sector.

According to Ding Ning, Wenjiang District is currently focusing intently on building the Chengdu Medical City. In accordance with Chengdu’s biomedical industry plan, Chengdu Medical City will aim to establish a “Biomedical Technology Translation Center” benchmarked against global standards, and a nationalPositioned as a leading innovation and entrepreneurship hub for the emerging pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, and as the largest full-chain biomedical industrial cluster in Southwest China, it highlights the core concepts of “tri-medical integration” (healthcare services, pharmaceuticals, and medical science) and “cross-disciplinary integration” of biomedical technologies with electronic information technologies. It focuses strategically on key areas including biopharmaceuticals, modernization of traditional Chinese medicine, medical devices, third-party professional services, health big data, precision medicine, and smart healthcare.

Meanwhile, Wenjiang District has focused on the development of the broader health industry, striving to create an attractive international business, living, and governmental environment, and building a robust biomedical industrial ecosystem. It has established a solid foundation and advantageous conditions in the following five areas.

(I) Suitable Industrial Carriers

Chengdu Medical City is located in Wenjiang District, directly west of Chengdu. Wenjiang is planned by Chengdu as an "international satellite city ideal for business, living, and tourism." It boasts a long history and culture, superior resource endowments, a beautiful ecological environment, distinct seasons, and a pleasant climate. The district is home to 10,000 hectares of flowers and trees, with a green coverage rate of 46.1%, and has earned accolades such as "International Garden City" and "UN Outstanding Green Eco-City."

Chengdu Medical City covers a total planned area of 41.15 square kilometers and is developed in two zones: Zone A and Zone B. Zone A, with a total area of 30.35 square kilometers, focuses on creating clusters for enhancing the quality and efficiency of existing assets, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and industrial support services. Zone B, covering 10.8 square kilometers, prioritizes the development of clusters for medical and healthcare innovation, healthy living support services, and an Innovation Service Center (Sino-Swiss Low-Carbon Demonstration Zone), along with the construction of an Innovation R&D Town. By the end of 2015, Chengdu Medical City had gathered nearly 30 biomedical production enterprises above the designated size, achieving an industrial output value of nearly RMB 5 billion. Since the beginning of this year, the city has emphasized precise and specialized investment promotion, successfully introducing 29 projects—including Kelun Pharmaceutical, BioX, Tianshizhen, and the West China Drug Efficacy Evaluation Center—with a total agreed investment of approximately RMB 9.6 billion.

(II) A Conducive Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Adhering to the principles of integrated industry-city development, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), and small-block regulations, and taking into account the needs of international high-end professionals for their children’s education, medical care, and cultural consumption, we are committed to addressing the work and living needs of high-level talents and diverse population groups, striving to build an international biomedical industrial community. Meanwhile, in accordance with the four principles of “facilitating innovation, entrepreneurship, investment, and business operations,” we have established two national-level incubators, Dongchuang Science and Technology Park and Education Science and Technology Park, and created provincial and municipal-level incubators such as the University Student Entrepreneurship Park, achieving a total incubation area of 150,000 square meters and hosting over 300 small and micro enterprises. This year, construction is set to begin on Phases II and III of the Sanyi Innovation Center, newly planned to cover more than 400 mu with a building area of 400,000 square meters. In addition, Chengdu Medical City collaborates with universities such as Sichuan University and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, focusing on the biomedical field and extensively promoting university-local government cooperation.

(III) Abundant Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources

Fifty-two universities, including Sichuan University, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, are concentrated within the one-hour economic circle of Chengdu Medical City. These institutions boast multiple national-level key disciplines, such as biotherapy, biomedical materials, internal medicine, surgery, imaging and nuclear medicine, and traditional Chinese pharmacy. Wenjiang District alone is home to 19 higher education institutions and a talent pool of over 200,000 professionals, making it the only university town in Sichuan Province. The area features a high density of biomedical research institutions.Chengdu Medical City has attracted well-known domestic pharmaceutical companies such as Kelun Pharmaceutical, Baiyu Technology, and Haisco Pharmaceutical. It also hosts high-end medical and R&D application institutions, including the West China Yongning Branch of Sichuan University, the August 1st Rehabilitation Center, BioBo, New Life Stem Cell, and Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital. The city has established three provincial-or-above biomedical engineering technology centers, seven provincial/ministerial-level biomedical key laboratories, and four medical incubators. It possesses first-rate domestic capabilities in efficacy evaluation, safety assessment, clinical trial research, and translational medicine R&D services. Three industrial funds—Jianqiao Capital, Cyborg, and TCL—have been established, raising a total of RMB 1.6 billion.

(4) Aggregating Third-Party Professional Service Institutions for Collaborative Cooperation

Professional medical service providers, including Purifa, Xiaipaisen, Tongchang, Fuji Biology, and the West China Drug Efficacy Evaluation Center, have established operations in Chengdu Medical City. A batch of public service platforms for new drug R&D, along with numerous laboratories specializing in molecular diagnostics and precision medicine, are available to provide professional biomedical services, forming an integrated system covering drug discovery, preclinical research, clinical trials, pilot-scale production, and industrialization. The pilot program for the Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) system is progressing steadily.

(V) Efficient and Convenient Government Service Environment

Building upon the earnest implementation of the implementation opinions and related preferential policies issued successively by the provincial and municipal governments to accelerate the innovative development of the pharmaceutical industry, the "Measures for Supporting Industrial Development in Chengdu Medical City" were formulated and promulgated. These measures provide robust support in areas such as industrial incentives, research and development, achievement transformation, talent promotion, and financing and credit. Furthermore, the model of government services has been innovated by exploring the establishment of a "4+4+1+X" project approval mechanism, while promoting stylized and refined enterprise services to offer end-to-end support for corporate investments.

Therefore, building upon the achievements and advantages of Chengdu Medical City and proactively aligning with the Sichuan Provincial Government’s “Proactive Health” strategy, the Wenjiang District People’s Government, together with the China-US Health Summit Organization, CETC Software & Information Services Co., Ltd., and Sichuan Railway Investment Information Technology Industry Investment Co., Ltd., jointly signed the Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Promoting the Development of the Health Big Data Industry. This agreement lays the foundation and establishes the prerequisites for introducing internationally advanced medical and health concepts and big data technological innovations into Chengdu Medical City, creating a people-centric service model, establishing a nationally leading proactive health big data service platform, and developing a healthcare big data service industry that leads globally.

So, what roles did each party play in this collaboration? What were the main contents of the cooperation?

In Ding Ning’s view, the Proactive Health Strategy is a significant initiative that aligns with the spirit of the National Outline for Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Planning, implements the principle of “shifting the focus of disease prevention and control upstream,” and strives to achieve “shared health, safe families, a harmonious society, and a prosperous nation.” The Proactive Health Strategy can foster innovation in health concepts, health products, health service models, and health industry formats. It helps mobilize diverse social resources to actively participate, thereby alleviating shortages in medical and healthcare resources, substantially reducing healthcare expenditures, and establishing a health model conducive to building a harmonious society. In this regard, Wenjiang District must take proactive and forward-looking actions, plan ahead, and intensify its efforts. It should position the proactive health industry as the foundation and source of the biomedical industry in Chengdu Medical City, thereby accelerating high-quality development in the area.

This collaboration focuses on building a proactive health big data service platform and developing the health and medical big data service industry, with cooperation prioritized in the following three areas: First, establishing an internationally leading innovation and translation center for proactive health. Second, creating a proactive health big data service platform with nationwide reach across China. Third, developing a globally leading industrial base for proactive health big data services.

To effectively implement the proactive health strategy proposed by the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, Wenjiang District is leveraging Chengdu Medical City as a platform to comprehensively build an international hub for the proactive health big data industry and foster the development of related sectors.

First, accelerate the improvement of infrastructure such as electricity, communications, and water treatment within the 41.15-square-kilometer Medical City, along with the construction of public service facilities including high-end communities, premium business districts, and schools, to provide a comprehensive foundational support system for the medical, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and proactive health industries.

Second, provide policy support and talent acquisition guarantees for the construction of the Proactive Health Innovation and Translation Center and the Proactive Health Big Data Service Platform; collaborate with enterprises to jointly secure policy support from provincial and municipal authorities.

Third, focus on building a proactive health big data service platform and developing the health and medical big data services industry. Coordinate with and support Sichuan Railway Investment Group in securing funding for proactive health service models and proactive health big data projects, as well as special industrial development funds, thereby establishing a multi-level, multi-channel, and diversified investment and financing support system.

Companies such as Tietou Information and Dianke Ruanxin are primarily responsible for raising special project funds and managing project operations. They are tasked with introducing internationally advanced technological and service innovations, including medical health big data and the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) service model. These entities jointly conduct research on proactive health service models, design supporting informatization infrastructure, and facilitate the translation of research outcomes. They also participate in domestic pilot programs for proactive health service models and establish corresponding mechanisms for outcome translation and commercial incubation. These efforts aim to foster the cultivation and development of new service industries related to proactive health in Chengdu Medical City, thereby contributing to the achievement of its target of a RMB 100 billion industry scale by 2025.