Novo Nordisk ramps up investment in China, highlighting country's technological strengths

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has announced plans to invest another 200 million yuan (about 29.6 million U.S. dollars) to expand its production lines in north China's Tianjin.

Sprawling across 220,000 square meters inside the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, the Novo Nordisk Tianjin production site is one of the company's strategic global manufacturing hubs, supplying injection devices and finished pharmaceutical products to China and other markets.

The site has launched several expansion projects in recent years, steadily stepping up the production hub's capacity.

In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Novo Nordisk's president and CEO Mike Doustdar said the company is bullish on China's technological strength and market prospects, stressing its accelerated pace of investment in China in recent years.

"We just made a new announcement of extending the factory with another investment of 200 million yuan. Since 2003, we have invested 17 billion yuan and since 2023, we have invested 6 billion yuan. Sixty percent of the manufacturing basically goes to consumption here in China. Forty percent of the production is exported to the rest of the world," said Doustdar.

Beyond expanding production lines, Novo Nordisk also launched China Essentials, an innovation-support program, back in 2020, making it one of the first multinational pharmaceutical companies to carry out localized research and development and manufacturing in China.

The move reflects a broader shift. In recent years, many pharmaceutical companies have not limited themselves to setting up factories in China, rather, they have pivoted toward deeper research and development collaboration with local companies.

"I see it increasingly as fascinating and something the world cannot ignore. Forty-four percent of all new chemical entities that are introduced are actually made in China. Just a couple of years back, it was less than 30 percent. So it's really rapidly increasing," said Doustdar.

According to a report from Bloomberg, cooperation between Chinese and foreign pharmaceutical companies has seen explosive growth since 2026. As of the end of March this year, Chinese pharmaceutical companies accounted for 55 percent of global licensing deals, up from less than 10 percent in 2021.

The numbers show that China is no longer just a market where multinationals hope to sell their products. It is becoming a powerhouse to partner with and emerging as a key player in global pharmaceutical innovation.

Novo Nordisk ramps up investment in China, highlighting country's technological strengths

China will launch a fresh campaign to promote the sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in its rural areas by improving auto trade-in services and strengthening support for NEV use in the countryside.

The campaign will select NEV models that meet the needs of rural consumers, enjoy good reputations and are known for reliable quality, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which is jointly organizing the campaign with four other government departments.

As part of the campaign, dedicated trade-in sections will be set up to provide one-stop services such as used-vehicle inspection, assessment and recycling.

The campaign will also select county-level areas where NEV penetration remains relatively low, but market potential is considerable, for holding offline promotional activities.

Experience-based consumption scenarios, including vehicle displays and test drives, will be created to attract consumers from surrounding towns and villages to stores.

NEV sales outlets, after-sales maintenance and repair service providers, charging and battery-swapping service enterprises, as well as insurance and credit service providers, will be encouraged to join the campaign, in a bid to further improve the supporting environment and services for NEV use in rural areas.

China launches new campaign to boost NEV consumption in rural areas