UK and China agree GBP2 bn healthcare deals
21-Oct-15, GOV.UK
More than £2 billion of healthcare trade deals and collaborations have been signed between Chinese and UK companies, universities and organisations during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Britain.
%20GOV%20UK.jpg "UK and China agree GBP2 bn healthcare trade and investment deals (c) GOV UK")
Image: GOV.UK
Speaking today (21 October 2015) at the Life Science and Healthcare Business Forum, Minister for Life Sciences George Freeman said that the collaborations will provide benefits that go beyond the populations of China and the UK, and will have a positive effect on global health:
"With a population of more than one billion and a rapidly developing economy, China is set to become the world’s fastest growing healthcare market. Today’s £2 billion trade package for UK exports in research, hospital construction, training, diagnostics and drug discovery shows the huge potential of UK/Chinese Life Science trade."
The sharing of expertise will flow both ways. UK patients will benefit from China’s technology with deals such as United Imaging and Cerno who have collaborated to bring the latest oncology imaging technology to the UK, while UK organisations Annie Barr, Glasgow Caledonian University and Kings College London are supporting the training of Chinese health professionals, as the Chinese government aims to train 150,000 doctors and 2 million nurses by 2020.