On the afternoon of May 8, 2025, Dr. Zhang Shuyang, Chairman of the China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association (PhIRDA), President and Deputy Secretary of Party Committee, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), and Dr. Song Ruilin, Executive President of PhIRDA, met with His Excellency Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the People’s Republic of China, and the delegation at PUMCH. The two sides conducted in in-depth discussions on advancing China–UAE collaboration in key areas such as clinical medical research and pharmaceutical industry investment.

Meeting

Dr. Zhang Shuyang extended a warm welcome to the UAE delegation. She noted that amid the vigorous development of China’s pharmaceutical industry, PhIRDA plays a pivotal role in driving reform and innovation. As a major force behind industry transformation, PhIRDA has continuously consolidated innovation resources and promoted international collaboration, making significant contributions to enhancing the global competitiveness of China’s pharmaceutical industry. As President of PUMCH, Dr. Zhang Shuyang emphasized that the hospital serves as a benchmark institution in China’s modern medical development. It actively participates in clinical trials for innovative therapies and has contributed to numerous “first-in-China” pharmaceutical breakthroughs. She highlighted the UAE as a key comprehensive strategic partner of China and an active participant in the Belt and Road Initiative. With highly complementary strengths in healthcare services, health management, and genomic research, China and the UAE hold broad prospects for future collaboration. Dr. Zhang Shuyang expressed her hope to deepen bilateral cooperation through sustained dialogue and coordinated platforms, and to jointly promote capability-building in the health sector. She suggested expanding cooperation in areas such as clinical research, talent exchanges, medical education, and innovative drug development.

Dr. Song Ruilin emphasized that in recent years, China’s pharmaceutical industry has experienced transformative breakthroughs, from regulatory reform and capital inflows to indigenous innovation and global expansion. The industry is rapidly transitioning from a follower to a leader on the global stage. Dr. Song Ruilin pointed out that the UAE holds a unique position in the global healthcare landscape. With its open, inclusive, and multicultural environment, the UAE is emerging as a key international hub for science, technology, and industrial cooperation. As it undergoes a strategic shift from an energy-based economy to a diversified one, the UAE is actively investing in emerging sectors such as pharmaceuticals, genomics, and advanced manufacturing.He highlighted that China possesses a solid foundation in new drug development, technological innovation, and clinical application, while the UAE offers distinct advantages in investment and business environment. The two sides should jointly explore innovative cooperation models in investment, research and development, and clinical trials. Through coordinated planning and complementary strengths, China–UAE pharmaceutical cooperation can not only support the global expansion of Chinese pharmaceutical companies into the Middle East and Africa, but also inject both Chinese expertise and Middle Eastern vitality into global health development.

H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi commended PhIRDA for its outstanding contributions to driving industry innovation and internationalization. He expressed strong recognition of the strategic relevance and vast potential of China–UAE collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry. He stated that cooperation in healthcare not only reflects the governance capacity and public well-being of a nation, but also serves as a key engine for bilateral economic and technological integration. The UAE is accelerating the implementation of its national health strategy and is committed to upgrading the entire pharmaceutical value chain—from fundamental research and clinical translation to advanced manufacturing and global distribution. He stressed that the UAE is dedicated to building a knowledge- and innovation-driven economy, with healthcare positioned as a core strategic pillar. H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi noted that China–UAE pharmaceutical collaboration must not only progress quickly, but also deepen substantively. Through closer policy alignment, open technological exchange, and forward-looking industrial layout, both sides can work hand-in-hand to usher in a new chapter of mutually beneficial healthcare cooperation across Asia and Europe.

Both parties agreed that the meeting should serve as a catalyst for building a long-term, stable foundation for China–UAE collaboration in healthcare, life sciences, and industrial development. Guided by the principles of “extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits,” the two sides aim to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and foster a new integrated ecosystem linking academia, research, industry, healthcare, investment, and policy. They also underscored the importance of strengthening mechanisms for continuous dialogue and policy coordination, in order to jointly enhance the health and well-being of the people and contribute to the building of a China–UAE community with a shared future in health.

Following the meeting, H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi and his delegation, accompanied by Dr. Zhang Shuyang, toured PUMCH’s Medical Archive Hall and Hospital History Exhibition, gaining a deeper understanding of the hospital’s century-long evolution and its high-quality development in the new era.

Visit in Medical Archive Hall

The meeting was attended by Mr. Mohammed Najeeb Alrazhi, Head of Consular Affairs and Nationals Services Section; Feng Lan, Secretary-General of PhIRDA, Lu Xiaoti, Deputy Secretary-General of PhIRDA; Du Bin, Vice President of PUMCH, Huang Hui, Director of the General Office, Clinical Research Institute of PUMCH, He Jing, Deputy Director of Office of International Cooperation of PUMCH, Yi Liye, Deputy Director of General Administration Office of PUMCH, Wei Yizhen, Deputy Director of Education Department of PUMCH.

Group Photo (Center: H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi; Third from left: Chairman Zhang Shuyang; Third from right: Executive President Song Ruilin; Second from left: Vice President Du Bin; Second from right: Mohammed Najeeb Alrazhi; First from right: Secretary-General Feng Lan; First from left: Deputy Secretary-General Lu Xiaoti)

Exchange Gifts