Jason Liu, CEO of Intuitive Fosun, a joint venture between U.S.-based robotic surgery leader Intuitive Surgical and China's Fosun Pharma, has expressed confidence in the Chinese market, and says the company will accelerate localization efforts to better serve Chinese patients.
Intuitive Fosun has participated in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai for the past seven consecutive years, using the event to promote its flagship product, the da Vinci robotic-assisted surgical system.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the event venue, Liu outlined a three-tiered localization roadmap designed to align with China's unique medical ecosystem.
"Localization is our key strategy for our investment and growth in China. We have three tiers of the localization strategy. First of all, it's really about capital system. What you look at here is our workforce fourth generation called 'da Vinci Xi'. In 2024, we have successfully started manufacturing and approved by NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) in China. So right now, we're selling this product in the Chinese market," said Liu.
"The next way for our localization, it really focuses on the I and A (instruments and accessories). We call it consumables for da Vinci system that includes robotic arms and all the necessity to perform a complex surgery product. The third layer of our localization innovation is really around AI and digitalization. So we are focusing on collaborating, our innovation powerhouse in China, really leverage China medical doctors' abilities, and really leverage the medical data coming out of China market, getting to the voice of a customer, understand their online needs around the digital product, and really drive our companies in China digitalization," he said.
Liu said that Intuitive Fosun is expanding its footprint across China, not just by bringing advanced technology to the market, but by building local capacity.
"China is already the second largest single-country market for the entire Intuitive Surgical in the world. What we believe, someday, maybe become the largest single-country market for robotic surgery. So, short answer is we are very bullish and confident about the RAS (robotic-assisted surgery) in China in the future. We want to continue to invest in our China market, really wanting to bring more advanced technologies into China," said Liu.
CIIE is the world's first national-level expo dedicated to imports.
The 8th CIIE this year, which concluded on Monday, has set a new record in terms of scale. It attracted participation from 155 countries, regions and international organizations, with 4,108 overseas exhibitors and a total exhibition area of over 430,000 square meters, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Intuitive Fosun to accelerate localization in China's robotic surgery market: CEO
