Pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors: Govt steps up efforts to attract Chinese investment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is stepping up efforts to attract Chinese investment into its pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, with nearly 60 leading Chinese companies participating in investment promotion events in Beijing ahead of the Pakistan–China B2B Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Biotechnology Investment Conference scheduled to be held in Karachi on July 17-18.

The Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing organized two investment promotion events on Thursday in collaboration with the China Overseas Development Association (CODA) and IBI GoulianGufen to mobilize Chinese investors for the upcoming conference.

The events brought together almost 60 Chinese enterprises, including more than 40 companies at the embassy and another 17 firms at an event in Beijing’s Fengtai District. The participating companies represented pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, vaccines, medical devices, diagnostics, healthcare services, digital health, clinical research and related industries.

Addressing the participants, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, said the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0) is increasingly focused on industrial cooperation, technology transfer, innovation and value-added manufacturing, with pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and healthcare emerging as priority sectors.

He said the Karachi conference is part of the embassy’s broader B2B investment mobilization initiative launched in 2024 to connect Chinese and Pakistani businesses across 21 priority sectors. According to the ambassador, previous investment conferences and sector-specific engagements have already generated investment commitments, business partnerships and joint ventures between enterprises from both countries.

Highlighting Pakistan’s investment potential, Ambassador Hashmi said the country’s pharmaceutical market is valued at more than USD4 billion and is expanding by 10-12 percent annually, while pharmaceutical exports recorded 34 percent growth in FY2025.

He said Pakistan offers investors a large domestic market, competitive production costs, a strategic geographical location, the World Health Organization’s Maturity Level 3 certification and investment facilitation through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

The ambassador invited Chinese companies to explore investment opportunities in seven priority areas: generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), generic injectables, human vaccines, insulin, veterinary vaccines, biologics and biosimilars, and medical devices. He said these sectors offer strong potential for localized manufacturing, technology transfer, export-oriented production and integration into regional and global value chains.

At a separate event hosted by IBI GoulianGufen, Ambassador Hashmi also highlighted opportunities in biotechnology research and development, diagnostics, healthcare technologies, clinical research services, robotics-assisted medical solutions, stem-cell research and traditional medicine products, stressing the complementarities between Chinese technological capabilities and Pakistan’s expanding healthcare ecosystem.

Participants were briefed on the conference programme, B2B matchmaking sessions and planned industrial site visits, with several Chinese companies expressing interest in attending the Karachi conference and exploring partnerships with Pakistani counterparts.

The Pakistan-China B2B Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Biotechnology Investment Conference is being organized by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in collaboration with the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing and Pakistan’s Consulates General across China. The event is expected to bring together leading enterprises, investors, regulators and industry stakeholders from both countries to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, vaccines, medical devices, diagnostics and healthcare services.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026