Fangchenggang in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is stepping up efforts to build an international hub for medical innovation and cooperation, leveraging its role as a national pilot zone for medical opening-up to drive industrial growth and deepen collaboration with partners across Asia and beyond.

Huang Jiang, Party secretary of Fangchenggang and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, said the city is seizing the opportunity presented by the international medical opening-up pilot zone to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals, healthcare services and medical technology.

Strategically situated at the southwestern tip of China's coastline, Fangchenggang borders Vietnam and is home to Dongxing Port, a first-class national port and a vital channel for personnel as well as goods between China and Vietnam.

It is also a key node in the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and serves as a bridge connecting the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"As a national-level opening-up platform, our pilot zone has been granted a series of supportive policies that allow us to explore innovative approaches in areas such as drug and medical device approval, cross-border medical care, and industrial development," Huang said.

Over the past seven years, leveraging the pilot zone, Fangchenggang has established a major platform for medical exchanges involving SCO, ASEAN, and Belt and Road countries.

It has hosted 14 significant events, including the 2025 International Medical Innovation and Cooperation Forum.

The forum attracted leaders, experts and business representatives from 20 countries and international organizations, showcasing 45 top-tier domestic pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Cutting-edge medical scenarios presented, such as minimally invasive robotic surgeries and rehabilitation robots, drew significant interest from international participants.

To date, over 700 guests from 39 SCO and ASEAN countries have visited the pilot zone. Fangchenggang has also conducted exchanges in 15 countries, signed cooperation agreements with four overseas industrial parks and trained nearly 1,000 foreign medical professionals, helping promote Chinese medical expertise and technology overseas.

In addition, industrial cooperation has seen a growing trend.

It has established a cross-border pharmaceutical centralized procurement platform, attracting over 330 domestic pharmaceutical companies and more than 20 foreign buyers, becoming a key bridge for China-ASEAN medical industry cooperation.

The city has also worked to ensure that the benefits of the pilot zone extend to residents in border areas. It invested nearly 8.4 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in improving medical resources during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), with the number of hospital beds and healthcare professionals increasing by 75.95 percent and 60.33 percent, respectively.

Border residents can now access high-quality medical services at national standards right in their own communities, she said.

The pilot zone has also facilitated healthcare cooperation between China and Vietnam.

The city pioneered the China-Vietnam emergency treatment mechanism, which has treated over 700 critically ill patients from across the border. This mechanism has been extended to three cities and eight counties along the Guangxi border.

"We are committed to making AI a key breakthrough in the development of the medical pilot zone," said Huang, adding that it will fast-track projects like the digital and intelligent operations center and the medical imaging data sharing service center, exploring remote surgeries and telemedicine in its regional medical center.

More than 200 key enterprises have gathered in the pilot zone. These include 25 high-tech enterprises and 50 small and medium-sized sci-tech enterprises.

Efforts will be made to build a talent hub for the medical, pharmaceutical, and health food industries, deepen industry-education integration, and continue international talent training programs.

"We will continue to promote international cooperation in medical innovation, and contribute to building an even closer SCO community as well as a China-ASEAN community with a shared future," she said.

Contact the writers at zhangli@chinadaily.com.cn