Shanghai United Imaging eyes global expansion

Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare has made significant strides in expanding its presence in Southeast Asia and has marked several "firsts" in local hospitals, said a senior executive of the company, which specializes in medical imaging, radiotherapy equipment and life science instruments.

Local medical institutions in over 10 Southeast Asian countries have been equipped with a total of more than 400 devices from the company to help enhance their medical diagnostic capabilities, Xia Jusong, the Shanghai-based firm's head of international business, said during an exclusive interview with China Daily.

"Our company's strategic focus on Southeast Asia as a priority market is evident in our plan to achieve local production and logistics within a year, alongside bolstering research collaborations," said Xia.

With overseas business growth outpacing domestic operations, United Imaging, which was established in 2011, aims to become one of the top three players globally by 2030 from its fifth position currently, Xia said.

The company's products have been deployed in at least 85 countries and regions, with over 34,500 installations in more than 14,800 medical institutions worldwide. Overseas markets constitute 22 percent of its total business.

Premier Li Qiang called on Tuesday for further deepening strategic alignment and expanding regional opening-up among China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council, in order to fully unleash the potential of open development.

Addressing the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Li urged the three parties to build the related regions into a large shared market where resources, technologies and talent flow more efficiently, and trade and investment enjoy greater freedom and convenience.

The medical devices industry is rapidly emerging as a high-growth sector, offering lucrative opportunities for Chinese enterprises to expand overseas.

According to statistics from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, China's medical device exports reached $35.34 billion in the first three quarters of 2024, representing a 4.4 percent year-on-year growth.

During the China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF) held in Shanghai in April, United Imaging signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore-based healthcare group IHH Healthcare. This collaboration aims to advance precision medicine globally through a comprehensive approach combining equipment, artificial intelligence and services.

"IHH represents top levels of medical standards and medical services. It is the first time that IHH has established cooperative relations with a Chinese enterprise, as it used to only work with the world's top three players in medical imaging diagnosis," Xia said.

In January, United Imaging forged a strategic partnership with KPJ Healthcare, a leading private healthcare group in Malaysia.

"The eventual cooperation with them was reached through mutual trust, which was built after a long time, following their visits to our company and factory and negotiations. Such results reflect their recognition of our company's overall strength," said Xia.

He said the company's products have marked several "firsts" in local hospitals. For example, it installed a digital PET-CT machine at Sunway Medical, a prestigious hospital in Malaysia, the first equipment of its kind at the institution.

"Such equipment allows AI to empower the examination of tumors, making the images more accurate, the scans faster and the radiation exposure lower. It has advanced the level of cancer examination locally," Xia said.

Xia highlighted the significance of the Southeast Asian market for the company's global development blueprint, given its stable economic development, substantial market demand, and strategic importance within the Belt and Road Initiative.