Healthcare Focus | British Chamber Attends Seventh Round of National Centralised Volume-Based Procurement for Medical Consumables

Healthcare has long been a key area of focus for the British Chamber of Commerce in China. The Chamber’s healthcare membership includes companies and organisations such as Smith+Nephew, AstraZeneca and LivaNova,etc. And the Chamber continues to closely follow policy and market developments across China’s healthcare sector. In recent years, as China has continued to advance healthcare security reform and the centralised volume-based procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, the policy and market environment for the healthcare sector has continued to evolve. Issues including procurement rules, market access, recognition of the value of innovative medical products, and the stability and predictability of policy implementation remain important areas of focus for the Chamber and its healthcare members.

Against this backdrop, the Seventh Round of National Centralised Volume-Based Procurement for Medical Consumables was held in Tianjin on 10 September. Sophie Li, Government Affairs Manager at the British Chamber of Commerce in China, attended the event on behalf of the Chamber to gain first-hand insights into the latest developments in the national procurement programme and to further understand the potential implications of changes to relevant policies and procurement rules for British healthcare companies operating in China and the wider sector.

Through its participation in the event, the Chamber gained further insight into the latest implementation of China’s national centralised procurement policy for medical consumables, while considering issues including procurement mechanisms, product quality, clinical needs, supply security and market competition from a business perspective. For international healthcare companies, including British businesses, a fair, transparent and predictable market environment, together with appropriate consideration of product quality, the value of innovation and clinical needs, is important to their long-term development in China.

As an important bridge between British businesses, Chinese government authorities and other relevant stakeholders, the British Chamber continues to understand the practical needs and shared concerns of its members operating in China through policy research, member engagement, government dialogue and industry events. Participation in this event forms part of the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to follow developments in China’s healthcare policy landscape, providing further insight into the latest changes to and implementation of centralised procurement policies, while informing future engagement with member companies, relevant government authorities and industry partners.

Looking ahead, the British Chamber will continue to closely follow policy and market developments in China’s healthcare sector, strengthen engagement with members, government authorities and industry partners, and communicate the shared concerns of British businesses on issues including market access, innovative products, procurement mechanisms and the broader business environment. Through these efforts, the Chamber remains committed to supporting a more open, fair, transparent and predictable business environment and contributing to long-term, practical and mutually beneficial UK-China cooperation in healthcare.