At present, the biopharmaceutical and life & health industry has emerged as one of the most important engines driving high-quality economic development, with unprecedented opportunities ahead.  Backed by a solid industrial foundation, abundant clinical resources, and clusters of new quality productive forces such as Yongchun Pharmaceutical City, Changchun is well positioned to accelerate the development of the "Four New" industries, including new pharmaceuticals.

Solid Momentum in Industrial Growth

Changchun enjoys distinctive advantages in developing the biopharmaceutical and life & health industry.  In terms of industrial foundations, Changchun is one of the first three national biological industrial bases officially recognized by the state and has achieved numerous "firsts" in China's biopharmaceutical and life & health sectors. In terms of innovation capacity, the city hosts a concentration of leading research institutions, including the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; the Institute of Military Veterinary Medicine under the Academy of Military Medical Sciences; the Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences of CAAS; and Changchun University of Chinese Medicine. Changchun is also home to several national-level laboratories—such as those specializing in electroanalytical chemistry, polymer physics and chemistry in Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and inorganic synthesis and preparative chemistry in Jilin University—as well as renowned academicians and experts including Xia Xianzhu, Jin Ningyi, and Chen Xuesi.  Across the city, 12 universities and colleges offer 36 programs related to biopharmaceuticals and life & health, supported by 34 leading experts and discipline heads, providing strong technological and talent foundations for industrial development.

Product competitiveness is particularly notable. The Changchun Institute of Biological Products operates the only enterprise-based biosafety P3 laboratory in Northeast China. GenSci’s recombinant human growth hormone accounts for approximately 70% of the domestic market. Dirui Medical's urine analyzers and Boxun Biotech’s microcolumn gel immunoassay technology have successfully broken foreign technological monopolies.  In addition, Changchun is home to a number of nationally recognized brands such as Gankang, Xiuzheng, and Laojunlu, along with many pharmaceutical products generating annual sales exceeding RMB 50 million.

Changchun also boasts a great number of medical and healthcare institutes, ranking third among China's 15 sub-provincial cities.  The First Hospital of Jilin University (The First Bethune Hospital of Jilin University) has ranked second nationwide for two consecutive years in the volume of drug clinical trials. Meanwhile, the Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine is among the country's first national clinical research bases and a designated unit for the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance and Innovation Program.

The city's natural endowments further strengthen its advantages.  Located in central Jilin Province, Changchun is the optimal area for the intensive processing of high-quality, authentic medicinal materials.  With distinct seasons, synchronized rainfall and heat, and moderate temperature and humidity, Changchun is also among the regions with the lowest biopharmaceutical production costs in China.

Clear Strategic Positioning

According to the Three-Year Breakthrough Action Plan for the Biopharmaceutical and Life & Health Industry of Changchun, by 2025 the city aims to achieve the "Double Ten, Double Hundred, Double Thousand" development targets. A spatial development pattern featuring "one core, one center, three zones, and multiple parks" is taking shape—strengthening the core pharmaceutical and health industry zone, refining the national regional medical center, expanding growth poles in the Economic and Technological Development Zone, the China-ROK (Changchun) International Cooperation Demonstration Zone, and Jingyue Hi-Tech Zone, and optimizing a number of distinctive pharmaceutical and health industrial parks.

Eight advancement initiatives are being implemented to promote quality improvement and scale expansion across eight priority sectors:  biopharmaceuticals, chemical drugs, traditional Chinese medicine, medical devices, healthcare services, pharmaceutical distribution, medical aesthetics, and life & health. Together, these efforts aim to build a strategic emerging industrial cluster valued at over a hundred billion yuan.

At the same time, six comprehensive support systems are being put in place.  Through coordinated action in policy alignment, industrial support, integrated financial services, statistical monitoring and early warning, high-end talent cultivation and recruitment, and business environment optimization, Changchun is providing robust, multi-layered support for the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.

Expanding Development Opportunities

In 2024, Changchun launched its "Two Cities" development initiative. Yongchun Pharmaceutical City was entrusted with the strategic mission of fostering biopharmaceutical and life & health industries, positioning it as a new engine for the growth of the city's new quality productive forces.

Building on Changchun's established pharmaceutical base, Yongchun Pharmaceutical City is accelerating the creation of a new high ground for the biopharmaceutical and life & health industry. In collaboration with 50 research institutions, it has developed a "technology achievements map," engaged leading domestic and international academicians and experts such as Li Xiaokun and Ding Jian, and facilitated the implementation of collaborative projects with institutions including the Shenzhen Research Institute of Tsinghua University and the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Yongchun Pharmaceutical City has become an important window for Changchun's deepened domestic and international cooperation and a new symbol of its external connectivity. The China Railway Northeast Asia International Expo and Convention Center, located within the area, has hosted more than 60 major exhibitions and conferences—including the CIOE, CMHIE, and CSSCR—serving as a key platform for government–enterprise dialogue and cooperation.  Guided by the principles of green, smart, innovative, resilient, and livable development, Yongchun Pharmaceutical City offers standardized industrial facilities, integrated R&D centers, cell storage banks, and comprehensive supporting services in education, healthcare, and culture, making it an increasingly attractive destination for talent and investment alike.

An Improving Industrial Development Environment

Changchun has rolled out a series of policies to support industrial growth, scientific and technological innovation, academicians' entrepreneurship, and talent attraction, with the goal of building a first-class industrial ecosystem.

Benchmarking against leading domestic regions in the pharmaceutical and health sector, the city has introduced the Several Measures to Support the Three-Year Breakthrough Action Plan for the Biopharmaceutical and Life & Health Industry of Changchun. These measures focus on core areas such as new drug and medical device R&D and manufacturing, providing support equivalent to up to 40% of a company's actual R&D expenditures. Depending on the clinical development stage, a single pharmaceutical product may receive incentives of up to RMB 36 million.

In line with policies adopted by other sub-provincial cities nationwide, Changchun has also issued targeted measures to support academicians' innovation and entrepreneurship, offering financial incentives ranging from RMB 5 million to RMB 10 million to academicians and their teams who establish businesses in Changchun or lead the creation of national key laboratories and national-level enterprise technology centers.

To strengthen original innovation capabilities, the city supports the development of new quality productive forces promotion centers and national research platforms, encourages key laboratories to tackle critical "bottleneck" technologies, and offers rewards of up to RMB 10 million for major university–enterprise collaborative breakthroughs.  Efforts are also being intensified to accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, supporting enterprises in converting both local and external research outcomes into industrial applications.

In addition, Changchun has released Talent Policy Version 3.0, establishing a special RMB 50 million talent fund under the "One Port, Two Cities" initiative to support the development of talent hubs for new quality productive forces. The policy supports top-tier scientists, national-level leading talents, innovative alumni, and overseas talents returning to Changchun to start businesses.  In parallel, the city is advancing the "One Million Graduates Attraction Program" to draw young professionals to build their careers in Changchun.

As the saying goes, when a hundred boats race, those who row hardest lead the way.  As a revitalizing old industrial base in Northeast China, Changchun is forging ahead with renewed momentum, striving to build a highland for the biopharmaceutical and life & health industry and accelerating toward a new blue ocean of growth.

Source: Changchun Government Affairs  Editor: Liu Jiadi