ISLAMABAD (GNP): The Government of Pakistan officially launched the historic Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical & Healthcare B2B Investment Conference today in Islamabad.
The Chief Guest, the Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan, inaugurated the high-profile launch ceremony, marking a major milestone in turning long-standing bilateral goodwill into collaborative industrial power under CPEC Phase 2.0. Conceived as a premium, project-driven facilitation initiative, the conference is organized by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (NHSR&C), the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), and the Board of Investment (BOI).
The summit brings together a magnificent assembly of over 450 companies under one roof, including 300+ leading Pakistani firms and 150 elite Chinese industrial groups.
Delivering the inaugural address, the Prime Minister of Pakistan extended a warm fraternal welcome to the Chinese delegation, describing Pakistan as their “second home.” Highlighting the profound evolution of the bilateral relationship, the Prime Minister stated:
“As we enter CPEC Phase 2.0, we are strategically shifting our focus from infrastructure and power generation to high-value industrial cooperation, deep technology transfer, and joint ventures in crucial social sectors. There is no sector more vital to this transition, nor more fundamental to human dignity and well-being, than healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.”
The Prime Minister expressed immense personal satisfaction, recalling that exactly one year ago on July 21, 2025, he had inaugurated DRAP’s digital portal for the licensing and registration of medical devices.
“Today, exactly one year later, that digital transformation has institutionalized transparency, enhanced service delivery, and fundamentally altered our ease of doing business, ultimately inspiring the deep confidence that has brought our global partners and international investors into this room today,” the Prime Minister affirmed his office full support and facilitation for anchoring this milestone.
Earlier in the ceremony, the Federal Minister for NHSR&C, Syed Mustafa Kamal, welcomed the VVIP dignitaries and presented an executive brief on the intensive groundwork that enabled the summit. Minister Kamal transitioned the bilateral narrative into a bold, operational mandate:
“To our distinguished Chinese brothers and sisters: welcome to Pakistan, your second home. For generations, we have proudly celebrated our ‘Iron Brotherhood’ through diplomatic poetry and slogans. But as the Minister charged with executing this portfolio, I believe the truest testament to a long-standing, ironclad relationship is not found in paperwork, it is written in industrial power, shared technology, and brick-and-mortar factories built together on the ground. That is precisely why today is not a day for mere diplomatic rhetoric; it is a day of execution.”
Minister Kamal noted that the Ministry and DRAP worked day and night for two months alongside the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing to run compatibility audits, pre-mapping companies to precisely bridge market gaps. He detailed the seven core localized tracks optimized for investment, spanning APIs, high-precision medical devices, and advanced biotherapeutics.
Proving the project-driven nature of the alliance, the launching ceremony culminated in an immediate, landmark Exchange of Official Agreements. Moving decisively past general trade understandings, the summit finalized 9 ground-breaking commercial agreements totaling an extraordinary USD 446 million in immediate investment value. These partnerships represent concrete operational commitments across critical sub-sectors:
Emphasizing China’s unwavering commitment to building an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Jiang Zaidong, delivered a powerful message of solidarity and joint industrial growth during his address:
“Our All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with Pakistan remains unbreakable, and healthcare is a vital pillar of this enduring bond. China stands ready to fully align our technological strengths with Pakistan’s healthcare requirements under CPEC Phase 2.0. This B2B conference is not just about commercial transactions; it represents a deep strategic commitment to technology transfer and capacity building. By establishing localized joint ventures, we are not only enhancing Pakistan’s healthcare self-reliance but are also building a resilient, high-tech export corridor that will serve the entire region. The Chinese corporate sector enters this alliance with long-term trust, high-end science, and an absolute commitment to joint prosperity.”
In a massive boost to localized preventative medicine, OBS partnered with Chinese biotech giant CanSino Biologics to execute an immediate USD 50 million agreement dedicated to the local manufacturing of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13). Concurrently, AGP finalized a USD 50 million joint venture with Shanghai United Cell Biotechnology (SUCB), this landmark project will focus on local cell-line development and advanced biotechnology manufacturing for Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (Genheal®), Teriparatide (OstioGen®), and the Oral Cholera Vaccine.
Expanding localized access to critical generic injectables and family planning technologies, OBS Pharma signed a USD 50 million joint venture with Liaoning Ludan Pharmaceutical to establish a domestic manufacturing setup for Levonorgestrel Contraceptive Implants over a 2-year execution timeline. In the biotherapeutic domain, Genix Pharma Pvt Ltd executed a USD 23 million agreement with a high-tech Chinese consortium comprising Intellective Biologics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Nanjing Cellnuo Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Tofflon Science & Technology Group Co., Ltd. to establish Pakistan’s first internationally integrated biopharmaceutical manufacturing platform for monoclonal antibodies, peptide therapeutics, insulin products, and future biological medicines.
The medical devices and diagnostic landscape witnessed a major transformation as Lab Diagnostic Systems (SMC) Pvt. Ltd. (LDS) signed a USD 25 million collaboration agreement with Chongqing LianXin ZhiKang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. for the localization, registration, assembly, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) products in Pakistan and selected export markets. In the largest individual financial commitment of the day, Lab Diagnostic Systems (SMC) Pvt. Ltd. (LDS) further expanded its portfolio by executing a monumental USD 200 million agreement with Sinovac Holding Group Co., Ltd. to collaborate on product registration, commercialization, and phased localization of selected critical vaccines.
Also Read: Embassy of Pakistan hosts Mango Festival in Washington DC
Upstream raw material autonomy was firmly addressed by Citi Pharma Limited, which entered into a USD 10 million strategic collaboration with Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group for technology transfer, knowledge sharing, investment, and localized synthesis of selected Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in Pakistan.
Concurrently, Lucky Core Industries Limited formalized a USD 13 million agreement with HuaHui Health (HongKong) Co., Limited aimed at accelerating direct patient access to Libevitug for the treatment of Hepatitis Delta.
Rounding out the historic text, Weatherfolds Pharmaceuticals & Welcome Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. partnered with Tian Yuan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd to establish an immediate USD 25 million project. This landmark initiative will build Pakistan’s very first manufacturing facility utilizing advanced synthetic technology for the production of highly sought-after Semaglutide & Tirzepatide APIs as well as their finished pharmaceutical forms.
The launching ceremony also featured strategic diplomatic and industrial addresses, including speeches by the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Jiang Zaidong, and the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Mr. Haroon Akhtar Khan.
Following the official exchange of documents, the conference immediately transitioned into the first of three highly anticipated, structured B2B matchmaking sessions. To sustain this investment velocity, live Information & Facilitation Desks staffed by active directors from DRAP, BOI, and SIFC are operating directly inside the venue boardrooms to assess, facilitate, and clear regulatory inquiries and licensing tracks in real-time.
Day 2of the technical sessions will commence with a masterclass led by DRAP, focusing on its global regulatory alignment with WHO and ICH criteria and its seamless integration with the Pakistan Single Window (PSW), before concluding with the finalization of subsequent corporate MoUs.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
