China's policies enhance business climate, bolster foreign confidence: Bayer VP

China's favorable policies and opening-up measures have further improved its business environment and boosted the confidence of foreign companies in the country, according to Bayer Healthcare's Vice President Thomas Jacxsens.

Talking to China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing, Jacxsens hailed China's commitment to deepening reform and further opening up in the healthcare sector.

In September 2024, China issued a notice of the pilot program for expanding opening up in the healthcare sector, with Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin designated among the nine provinces and municipalities to launch fully foreign-funded hospital trials.

"All of these policies are definitely interesting and catching the interests and curiosity of pharmaceutical companies, especially the policies around allowing foreign-owned entities to get involved in innovations around cell and gene therapies, that is very promising for us because Bayer is actually one of the global innovators when it comes to those therapies. We have two wholly owned subsidiaries, AskBio and BlueRock, and those companies are working on some cutting-edge therapies, for example, for Parkinson's disease. And that will be really interesting to see how that can at some point line up with what's happening in China," said Jacxsens.

Beijing's strengths in innovation and advanced manufacturing have made it a great city for foreign investment, according to Jacxsens.

"What is keeping me busy right now is a curiosity around what is happening in the area of advanced automation and advanced robotics, and we believe that we are in the middle of the 'candy store', as I call it, there are so many innovative companies working on this area here in Beijing and in China, so we want to tap into that, we want to understand the trends that are happening there. So that we can see the added value for the pharmaceutical industry and then hopefully also bring that into our whole global network," he said.

The businessman has played an active role in fostering communication between Chinese and German companies, including participation in events like the China International Import Expo and sharing insights on China's healthcare policies with Bayer's headquarters in Germany. As the Chinese market continues to open up and the business environment continues to improve, Jacxsens said his company intends to stay in China for the long term.

"We have been here 140 years and we intend to stay here a lot longer, so we keep our eyes open. We are part of the communities here and every day we try to be a better version of ourselves," Jacxsens said.

China's policies enhance business climate, bolster foreign confidence: Bayer VP

China's national vaccination program has achieved high coverage among eligible children, bringing great benefits to public health and helping control infectious diseases, according to the Health Immunization Department at the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA).

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Li Xiaocui, deputy director of the NDCPA, highlighted the country’s ongoing efforts and accomplishments in immunization.

Over the years, the vaccination rate for eligible children has remained consistently above 90 percent, playing a pivotal role in related disease prevention and control across the nation.

China has made remarkable progress in combating infectious diseases, including the eradication of smallpox, which was achieved nearly 20 years ahead of the global target. The country has also maintained a 30-year record of no locally transmitted polio cases, and diphtheria has been absent for almost two decades.

The hepatitis B vaccination strategy for newborns has been especially effective, reducing the positive rate of hepatitis B surface antigens in children under five by more than 90 percent, preventing millions from contracting the virus.

Furthermore, China has achieved the elimination of neonatal tetanus, and the incidence of measles remains below one case per million. Diseases such as hepatitis A, Japanese encephalitis, and meningitis have also seen historically low levels.

Li emphasized that the government is focusing on four key areas to continue strengthening immunization efforts.

"We are focusing on four key areas. First, we are actively adjusting the national immunization strategy to enhance both quality and capacity, while also optimizing the current vaccination schedule. Second, we are working to ensure the effective implementation of immunization programs nationwide, maintaining high vaccination coverage," Li said.

Li stressed the ongoing work to enhance immunization services.

"Third, we are committed to enhancing the service capabilities of grassroots professional teams, accelerating the adoption of digital immunization certificates, and facilitating the cross-province sharing of immunization information. Fourth, we are advancing the development of combination, multivalent and new vaccines, guiding and supporting vaccine research and industrial application of sci-tech advances to meet the demand for disease prevention and vaccine, which will support the adjustment of the national immunization strategy," Li added.

China’s national immunization program marks key health milestones