China unveils a new five-year plan for pharmaceutical industry

Global Times

Updated: 2026-09-27

China has set a goal of becoming a global biomedicine powerhouse by 2030, targeting key technological breakthroughs and aiming for first-in-class new drugs to account for over 25 percent of the global total, according to a new five-year plan for the sector.

The pharmaceutical industry development plan was jointly published on Sept 18 by ten government agencies, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission.

By the end of 2030, China aims to rank firmly among the global leaders in biopharmaceutical research and development (R&D) and applications, with its core competitiveness and international influence significantly enhanced, authorities said on Sept 18.

The plan has outlined a roadmap to accelerate innovation, scale up industrial capacity and deepen global cooperation in biopharmaceuticals and medical devices.

According to the plan, China aims to push its pharmaceutical sector toward higher-end, breakthrough and even disruptive innovation, with first-in-class new drugs accounting for over 25 percent of the global total by the end of the planning period.

The plan sets a target for revenues of major pharmaceutical industrial enterprises to surpass 3.5 trillion yuan ($522 billion) by 2030, while also advancing a package of specific indicators covering industrial scale, innovation output, enterprise cultivation and cluster development. It also calls for annual average R&D intensity among listed pharmaceutical companies to exceed 10 percent.

Among the key goals for the period are average annual growth of over 20 percent in the innovative drug industry; at least five products with global annual sales exceeding $1 billion; 50 pharmaceutical industrial enterprises with annual revenue above 10 billion yuan; and 20 pharmaceutical industrial parks with annual output of at least 100 billion yuan, according to the plan.

The plan also states that by 2030, China's biopharmaceutical R&D and application capabilities will rank among the world's leading, with key core technologies in major areas achieving systematic breakthroughs, and the biopharmaceutical industry becoming an emerging pillar of the national economy.

Meanwhile, the plan also emphasizes the need to speed up the transformation of China's pharmaceutical industry from scale expansion to high-quality innovation. It calls for strengthening the development of new drugs and devices in areas such as chemical APIs, high-end formulations, vaccines, antibody drugs, traditional Chinese medicine and medical equipment.

The release of the plan comes as China continues to strengthen support for strategic emerging industries, with biomedicine seen as a key area for cultivating new growth drivers and upgrading industrial competitiveness. The biomedical sector is one of six emerging pillar industries China has identified for strategic development, alongside integrated circuits, aerospace, low-altitude economy, new energy storage and intelligent robotics.

Industry analysts said the new plan reflects China's broader efforts to move from a major pharmaceutical manufacturing base to a global innovation center.

By combining stronger policy support, higher R&D investment and deeper international cooperation, China is signaling that it wants its pharmaceutical sector not only to grow in size, but also to play a larger role in the global innovation chain, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Sept 18.

A separate section of the plan focuses on expanding international collaboration and building an open, mutually beneficial industrial landscape.

The country will enhance the competitiveness of its pharmaceutical industry by strengthening advantages in key segments such as chemical raw materials, high-end preparations, vaccines, antibody drugs, traditional Chinese medicine and medical devices, according to the plan.

Domestic firms are encouraged to participate in global innovation networks through joint R&D and co-commercialization, while intellectual property protection and utilization will be strengthened to help more Chinese innovative drugs and devices enter global markets.

China will deepen regulatory cooperation with other countries, promoting alignment between domestic and international standards and improving global recognition of Chinese pharmaceutical products.

The plan further encourages Chinese companies to expand their global footprint by supporting international multicenter clinical trials, overseas registration, and the establishment of R&D centers, manufacturing bases and sales networks abroad.

It seeks to increase China's appeal to foreign pharmaceutical companies by leveraging the country's vast domestic market and policy advantages in areas such as the pilot free trade zones, the Hainan Free Trade Port and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

By targeting major breakthroughs in core technologies, stronger R&D investment, and deeper international cooperation, the country is laying the groundwork for a more competitive, high-value, and globally connected pharmaceutical industry by 2030, Li added.