On August 21, 2025, the State Council has approved in principle the Plan for Open and Innovative Development of the Entire Biopharmaceutical Industrial Chain in China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as the Plan), and requested its earnest implementation. This approval is a strong driver for the development of the biopharmaceutical industry in China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as the Zone), marking significant policy support for systematic and integrated reforms in this field.

The approval specifies that the implementation of the Plan should be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the CPC 20th National Congress and the second and third plenary sessions of the CPC 20th Central Committee, uphold the underlying principle of making progress while maintaining stability, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, create a new development paradigm, promote high-quality development, and strike a balance between development and security. The reason why pioneering and integrated exploration is pursued with high-level openness as the lead and institutional innovation as the core is to build the Zone into a biopharmaceutical industrial cluster with global influence and hub for innovative development with greater international competitiveness.

The approval points out that Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government must take primary responsibilities, formulate designated plans for accelerated implementation of the Plan, strengthen coordinated oversight, and guard against risks in key areas to ensure the accomplishment of the goals and tasks of the Plan. Competent departments of the State Council are required to provide support and guidance according to their respective responsibilities, making concerted efforts to help resolve difficulties encountered during implementation. The Ministry of Commerce should play a coordinating role to mobilize various parties to implement reform tasks, while reporting major matters to competent departments for instructions according to procedures.

Jiangsu boasts a complete range of biopharmaceutical industries and strong supporting capabilities in upstream and downstream industries. The Plan, focusing on the entire industrial chain ranging from biopharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing to distribution and application, as well as on key areas such as factor and security support, proposes 18 key tasks across five aspects. It outlines a series of significant reform measures to support R&D and innovation in biopharmaceuticals and medical devices, build major innovation platforms, deepen reforms in evaluation and approval systems, expand openness in the healthcare services sector, and facilitate customs clearance for R&D materials.

In recent years, the biopharmaceutical industry in the Zone has shown robust growth, generating an output value accounting for nearly half of that of the province’s total. The industrial parks in the Nanjing, Suzhou, and Lianyungang Areas of the Zone have all been recognized among China’s top 50 national biopharmaceutical industrial parks. Suzhou Industrial Park, where the Suzhou Area is located, ranks in the top tier nationally in terms of comprehensive competitiveness and has held the top spot in terms of industrial competitiveness for three consecutive years. Major innovation platforms, such as the National Center of Technology Innovation for Biopharmaceuticals, have successively settled in the Zone. In 2024, 13 Class I innovative drugs from Jiangsu were approved, and eight of them were from the Zone. The Plan approved by the State Council will greatly promote open innovation across the entire biopharmaceutical industrial chain in Jiangsu, providing solid support and a clear direction for the province to achieve higher-level development in the biopharmaceutical field.