As the semi-annual Canton Fair – China’s largest and oldest trade exhibition – draws to a close, a new exhibition area dedicated to digitally and technologically powered approaches to healthcare has drawn keen interest from overseas buyers.
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The “Intelligent Healthcare” zone, featuring 47 leading domestic manufacturers, is a showcase for medical robots and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled imaging diagnostics, wearable devices and other applications – and a sign of China’s ambitions to rapidly climb the value chain in medical technology.
“Chinese companies are now on the front lines – they’re leading in technology. I’m not exaggerating, just stating the truth,” said a German medical equipment purchaser who identified himself as Aliareh.
While he had not yet placed an order at the fair on Friday, he expressed interest in a generalised medical imaging model from the Hangzhou-based Diagens Biotechnology, which won an award for innovation from business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan last year.
“We’re exploring equipment for general and large hospitals, comparing what we see at exhibitions around the world. I’ll bring back what I’ve learned here, how far China’s technology has come.”
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The value of China’s medical device market has grown from 729.8 billion yuan (US$102.6 billion) in 2020 to 941.7 billion yuan in 2024, and is projected to exceed 1.8 trillion yuan by 2035, Frost & Sullivan said in their 2025 Blue Book report on the country’s global footprint in the sector.