Reference News website, March 22 report: According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post website, March 20 report, AstraZeneca said it will build pharmaceutical production bases in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and establish a separate innovation center in Shanghai. Similarly, amid tense geopolitical situations, some foreign companies are also building new factories in China.

The report said that in January this year, during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to Beijing, the British company pledged to invest 15 billion US dollars in China by 2030. The above measures are part of this commitment.

Zhang Jialin, head of the pharmaceutical research department at Nomura Hong Kong, said that China's manufacturing capabilities, integrated supply chains, and cost advantages are attracting multinational companies to produce in China.

A statement on AstraZeneca's website said that the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee on the 19th, announcing plans to build a production and supply base for radiolabeled conjugate drugs in Guangzhou, providing next-generation cancer therapies for patients. In addition, the company said it plans to build a specialized cell therapy commercialization production and supply base in the Lingang New Area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. The company will also establish a cell therapy innovation center in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park in Shanghai.

The report said that on the same day, AstraZeneca jointly with the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, the University of Glasgow, King's College London, and HSBC announced the launch of the "Shanghai-UK Life Science Innovation Ecosystem Collaboration Program."

Xu Siwei, global executive vice president of AstraZeneca and head of international operations, said: "The Pearl River Delta region where Guangzhou is located has world-class manufacturing infrastructure and an established biopharmaceutical industry ecosystem."

The report pointed out that AstraZeneca is not the only company expanding its manufacturing footprint in China. Eli Lilly Company announced this month that it will invest 3 billion US dollars over the next 10 years to establish localized production and supply chains in China, with the core content including expanding its Suzhou factory.

Last year, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche committed to investing 204 million yuan in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park in Pudong to build its second innovative drug production base in China. This base will produce its ophthalmic drug Luosijia, which is expected to be completed in 2029.

Ren Tao (音), head of the Asia healthcare research department at Macquarie Fund, said that major pharmaceutical companies are establishing self-sufficient supply chains in Europe, the United States, China, and Japan. He said, "If transportation between any two of these regions were to stop, local production could meet local demand." (Translated by Qiu Fang)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7619984246232334875/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author."