The biopharmaceutical industry has long been a key pillar of China’s national development strategy, and it is also a distinctive and advantageous sector in Hubei Province. Centered on the Wuhan National Bio-Industry Base (Optics Valley Bio-City), Hubei’s bio-industry spans and drives development in regions including Yichang, Shiyan, Ezhou, Jingmen, Tianmen, Huangshi, Huanggang, and Xiantao, thereby essentially establishing a differentiated development pattern characterized by “1+8.” Since the start of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, all parts of the province have vigorously promoted innovation-driven development, resulting in steady growth of the bio-industry.

　　In 2017, the province’s bio-industry recorded nearly RMB 200 billion in operating revenue, with the pharmaceutical industry emerging as a key pillar of the sector and achieving rapid growth. The added value of large-scale pharmaceutical enterprises across the province increased by 14.6% year on year, outpacing the overall industrial growth rate by 7.2 percentage points. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry’s main business revenue rose by 14.4%, accelerating by 2.1 percentage points compared with the previous year; profits surged by 33.8%, an acceleration of 20.2 percentage points year on year; and tax payments climbed by 15.7%, up 7.8 percentage points from the prior year.

　　Hubei Province’s bioindustry has now established a new development paradigm characterized by a comprehensive range of industrial sectors, the strong performance of leading enterprises, distinctive agglomeration advantages, a concentration of high-end talent, and prominent innovation capabilities. As one of the “three driving forces” of the province’s strategic emerging industries, the bioindustry is poised to become one of Hubei’s most important pillar industries. Optics Valley Bio-city has emerged as a new engine and pilot zone for the robust development of the province’s bioindustry, helping Hubei transition from a major bioresource province to a leading bioeconomy province. It is expected to evolve into one of the nation’s—and even the world’s—most important bioindustry clusters and growth hubs.

　　At present, the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, the Hubei Provincial People’s Government, the Hubei Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission, and several other departments are working in concert to transform Hubei into a major biotechnology industry hub in Central China. The plan is to achieve total operating revenue of RMB 600 billion for the province’s bioindustry by 2020, with the biopharmaceutical and high-end medical device sectors accounting for RMB 250 billion of that amount and contributing more than 4% to the province’s GDP. The initiative aims to cultivate 100 innovative bio-products each generating over RMB 100 million in annual revenue, strengthen 30 flagship products with annual revenues between RMB 500 million and RMB 1 billion, and develop approximately 20 bio-industry clusters characterized by strong brand recognition and annual revenues exceeding RMB 10 billion. By 2025, the combined scale of the province’s biopharmaceutical and high-end medical device industries is expected to reach RMB 350 billion, with total bioindustry revenue surpassing RMB 1 trillion. By 2035, a multi-tiered, radiating, and interconnected regional development pattern—dubbed the “1+8+n” framework—for Hubei’s bioindustry will be fully established, driving total provincial bioindustry revenue beyond RMB 2 trillion.

　　The direct objective of developing the bio-industry is to improve the health of the general public. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the Provincial People’s Government formulated a series of plans for the pharmaceutical and health sectors to guide the development of the bio-industry, including the Hubei Province Health and Wellness Development Plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan Period, the Hubei Province Food and Drug Safety Plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan Period, the Hubei Province Traditional Chinese Medicine and Health Services Development Plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan Period, the Hubei Province Plan for Deepening Reform of the Medical and Healthcare System during the 13th Five-Year Plan Period, and the Division of Key Tasks under the Action Outline for “Healthy Hubei 2030,” among others; in addition, the Implementation Opinions on Supporting the Economic Development of the Bio-Industry were revised and promulgated. Gedian has also formulated the Work Plan for Revitalizing the “China Pharmaceutical Valley” in the Gedian Development Zone and the Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Biopharmaceutical Industry in the Gedian Development Zone, thereby establishing the “Pharmaceutical Valley” brand for the biopharmaceutical industry.

　　Meanwhile, in order to pool talent advantages and build a multi-tiered talent system, Wuhan City established the Leading Group for Talent Recruitment and Attraction in March 2017. Chen Yixin, Deputy Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee, was appointed as the group’s head, while Wuhan Mayor Wan Yong served as the first deputy head. Under the Leading Group, the Wuhan Talent Recruitment Bureau was set up; operating as a “virtual institution with substantive functions,” it is primarily responsible for formulating and implementing talent development plans, major talent policies, and key reform initiatives. The bureau is also tasked with thoroughly advancing programs such as the “Urban Partnership,” “Yellow Crane Talents,” and “3551 Talent” initiatives, intensifying publicity and promotion efforts, fully leveraging the unique roles of “talent recruitment consultants” and “talent recruitment ambassadors,” and focusing on attracting a cohort of world-class industrial scientists, leading innovators and entrepreneurs, and “urban partners.”

　　Our province has continuously increased its support for the biopharmaceutical industry. The Wuhan East Lake New Technology Development Zone, not only known as “Optics Valley,” is also hailed as “Pharmaceutical Valley” due to the robust growth of the biopharmaceutical sector. According to the “Top 50 National High-Tech Zones in Comprehensive Biopharmaceutical Competitiveness 2016” released by the China Biotechnology Development Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology, the top four are Beijing’s Zhongguancun Science Park, Shanghai’s Zhangjiang High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Wuhan’s East Lake High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, and Suzhou Industrial Park. In terms of the time it took each region to begin strategically developing the biopharmaceutical industry, Suzhou Industrial Park reached fourth place in 10 years, whereas East Lake High-Tech Industrial Development Zone achieved third place in just eight years.

　　We are confident that, amid the current surge in biopharmaceutical development, Qirui, with its roots in Hubei and firmly established in the “Pharmaceutical Valley,” will be able to fully leverage the three powerful tools of intellectual resources, policy support, and research capabilities to achieve even greater scale and strength.