Ignoring China’s Biotech Industry Is No Longer an Option: Recent Developments and Implications

China has transitioned from a biotech imitator to a major innovator, now producing more highly cited biotech research than any other country and leading in clinical trials across diverse therapeutic areas2.

China now conducts more clinical trials than the United States and is increasingly licensing new discoveries to American and international companies, reflecting its growing influence in global drug development4.

State-led investment, regulatory reform, and strategic focus, including initiatives like Made in China 2025, have propelled China’s biotech industry to global prominence, with over 4,100 new drugs added to Chinese pipelines since 2022—second only to the US13.

Beijing and Shanghai led the world in laboratory construction in 2024, surpassing Boston and accelerating China’s output of biotech-related patents, establishing the country as a leading source in life sciences innovation3.

Experts and policymakers in the US warn that continued underinvestment in domestic biomedical research could widen the innovation gap, as China’s government support and strategic planning enable it to gain a competitive edge4.

China’s share of global pharmaceutical value added almost quadrupled over two decades, reaching nearly one-quarter of global output in 20192.

More than 50% of the global clinical pipeline in next-generation therapeutic areas (such as antibody-drug conjugates and CAR-T cell therapies) is now China-originated or partnered1.

Sources:

1. https://www.biopharmadive.com/spons/is-2025-the-chinese-year-of-biopharma/738274/

2. https://itif.org/publications/2024/07/30/china-is-no-longer-a-biotech-imitator/

3. https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/06/03/china-races-ahead-in-biotech-trials-is-the-u-s-stuck-in-second-place/

4. https://www.axios.com/2025/05/29/china-biotech-boom-us-drug-trials