On October 23, the “Thailand-China Hand in Hand: A New Journey for Medicines — Innovative Drug Cross-Border Cooperation Exchange Event,” hosted by Guangzhou RoyalLee Cancer Hospital and co-organized by the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Think Tank, was successfully held at Guangzhou RoyalLee Cancer Hospital. The event brought together government representatives from China and Thailand, experts from authoritative medical institutions, and representatives of innovative drug companies, who jointly witnessed the official unveiling of the “Thailand-China Innovative Drug Cooperation Platform.” This marks that cross-border collaboration between the two countries in oncology has moved from academic exchange to substantive industrial transformation and clinical implementation.

China and Thailand Moving Toward Each Other to Draw a New Blueprint for Cross-Border Healthcare

Knowledge City is striving to build an integrated ecosystem of five sectors—pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare, wellness, and insurance—turning R&D and manufacturing strengths into clinical, consumer, and industrial value. Wang Datong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Guangzhou Development District, said in his speech, “The ‘Thailand-China Innovative Drug Cooperation Platform’ is unveiled here. We welcome the Thai National Cancer Institute, Thai innovative drug companies, and medical institutions to strengthen connections with RoyalLee Cancer Hospital and biopharmaceutical companies in Knowledge City. Guangzhou Development District and Huangpu District will, as always, provide a first-class business environment and quality service guarantees, and support Thailand-China medical and health cooperation in yielding more fruitful results.”

Mr. Wang Datong, Member and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Guangzhou Development District

Mr. Sart Chaivoraphorn, Acting Consul General of Thailand in Guangzhou, said that this cooperation is not only a deepened embodiment of international medical cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, but also a key measure to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment in both places and benefit a wide range of patients.

Mr. Sart Chaivoraphorn, Deputy Consul-General of Thailand in Guangzhou

The Thai National Cancer Institute undertakes core functions such as national cancer prevention and control, treatment of complex and difficult cases, formulation of diagnosis and treatment standards, and medical research and innovation. China and Thailand have broad room for in-depth technical exchange and clinical collaboration in cancer prevention and treatment. Director Somchai Thanasitthichai said, “The Thailand-China Innovative Drug Cooperation Platform will promote joint research and development, patient referral, and commercial exchange of innovative drugs between the two sides. We hope to reduce policy friction and barriers so that national borders do not become obstacles preventing patients from accessing better treatment.”

Mr. Somchai Thanasitthichai

Leveraging the international medical advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to open up cross-border translation channels for innovative drugs is of great significance. Li Min, Chairman of Guangzhou RoyalLee Cancer Hospital, said, “Rooted in the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, RoyalLee Cancer Hospital will leverage its strengths in clinical research and cross-border services to build a solid cooperation vehicle and help local innovative drug companies break through in going global. We look forward to all parties working together to break down cooperation barriers, so that Chinese innovative drugs can benefit patients worldwide and share the dividends of China’s medical development.”

Li Min, Chairman of Guangzhou RoyalLee Cancer Hospital

At present, China’s innovative drugs, biologics, and gene therapies have entered a stage of running neck and neck internationally, and the biopharmaceutical industry also needs to go global, just like China’s new energy and electronics industries. Professor Li Dinggang, Chief International Medical Advisor of Guangzhou RoyalLee Cancer Hospital, said, “This event aims to build a two-way exchange link between China and Thailand and promote Chinese healthcare going global. With the platform based at the hospital and rooted in the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, it will become an important fulcrum for domestic innovative drugs to reach Southeast Asia. Focusing on innovative drugs and innovative medical devices, serving advanced and late-stage cancer patients worldwide, and relying on domestic research achievements, it will bring more hope of survival to more patients.”

It is worth noting that during this conference, RoyalLee Cancer Hospital’s international cooperation footprint further extended to the Middle East. The hospital formally reached a cooperation agreement with Global Million Group (GMG) from Saudi Arabia. The two sides will carry out in-depth cooperation in core areas such as academic exchange, remote consultation, and experience in the application of innovative drugs. This cross-regional collaboration not only enriched the international dimension of the conference, but also provided more possibilities for China’s cutting-edge medical technologies and innovative drugs and devices to enter the Middle East market and explore new paths for global medical cooperation.

Ms. Ma Lanying, Executive Director for Medical Affairs of Guangzhou RoyalLee Cancer Hospital, signs a cooperation agreement with Dr. Khalid Alrasheed, representative of GMG.

Integrating Five Sectors to Build an International Medical Highland

As a growth pole of the biopharmaceutical and health industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Knowledge City continues to gather top global medical resources, scientific and technological talent, and core industrial factors. It is planning, to high standards, an approximately 5-square-kilometer International Medical and Health Industrial Park, covering a core high-end medical service zone, an international medical tourism area, a biomedical and medical device R&D zone, a health-focused livable supporting zone, a TOD producer services development zone, and a production and transformation linkage zone. The six functional zones are coordinated and complementary, with integrated business forms.

A number of high-level medical institutions have been established one after another, forming a strong cancer diagnosis and treatment cluster. Knowledge City has completed seven Grade-A tertiary and specialized hospitals. With the Knowledge City Campus of the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University as the core, it links high-level hospitals such as Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, RoyalLee Cancer Hospital, and Taihe Cancer Hospital, joining forces to build a health ecosystem and an industrial innovation highland.

Innovative drug industry factors are accelerating their concentration here, and the scale of the biopharmaceutical industry cluster continues to expand. Construction of the 5-square-kilometer International Biomedicine Innovation Park is being accelerated. Leading companies such as Akeso and InnoCare have successively settled here, forming a large-scale, clustered biopharmaceutical industry cluster. The biopharmaceutical industry strength of Guangzhou Development District and Huangpu District ranks among the first tier of biomedical parks nationwide, establishing an industrial spatial layout of “R&D on Bio-Island + pilot testing in Science City + manufacturing in Knowledge City.” It has gathered more than 5,200 innovative drug and medical device companies; since the beginning of this year, more than 100 new drug applications have been filed; and it has had Class 1 innovative drugs approved for marketing for six consecutive years, with a cumulative total of 14.

The region has superior ecological conditions, with mountains, waters, and villages distributed in a picturesque layout, giving it natural hardware advantages for wellness and healthcare development. Ecological resources such as Jingxia Beautiful Village, Liantang Ancient Village, and Maicun Tianchi are scattered throughout the area. The beautiful and livable environment is deeply integrated with medical and wellness functions, providing an excellent spatial carrier and ecological foundation for international high-end wellness tourism, rehabilitation, and convalescence. Previously, RoyalLee Cancer Hospital was officially designated as an “International Medical and Wellness Base.”

Within easy reach, cutting-edge innovative drugs, international diagnosis and treatment plans, and wellness support are linked into a chain. Patients can access global cutting-edge medical achievements at their doorstep and enjoy full-cycle health services integrating quality diagnosis and treatment with rehabilitation and convalescence.

Official Unveiling Opens the “Last Mile” of Cross-Border Translation of Innovative Drugs

The Thai National Cancer Institute is under the Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand. It is Thailand’s national-level cancer diagnosis, treatment, and research institution and a highly influential comprehensive cancer center in Southeast Asia. At the unveiling ceremony, witnessed by Chinese and Thai guests, the Thailand-China Innovative Drug Cooperation Platform jointly established by the Thai National Cancer Institute and RoyalLee Cancer Hospital was officially launched.

The platform is positioned as a high-level cross-border medical cooperation hub, focusing on two-way translation of cutting-edge anti-cancer technologies and striving to address practical bottlenecks such as cross-border clinical collaboration, introduction of innovative drugs, and international patient referral. Unlike a single-point cooperation between the two institutions, the platform opens a regular connection channel between China’s innovative drug clinical translation chain and Thailand’s national cancer prevention and control network. The Thai side has a well-established system for real-world data collection and implementation of diagnosis and treatment standards; the Chinese side, RoyalLee Cancer Hospital, has JCI accreditation and mature practical GCP clinical trial capabilities. The two sides complement each other’s strengths, helping domestic innovative drug companies reach local clinical settings in Thailand and explore pathways for new drug implementation through cross-border research and real-world data.

Sharing by Thai Representatives

Keynote Sharing: Prof. Li Dinggang

With their complementary strengths, Chinese innovative drug companies can use the platform to directly reach local clinical settings in Thailand and, through cross-border clinical research and the accumulation of real-world data, steadily explore feasible pathways for innovative drugs to be implemented in Thailand. Previously, we attracted overseas patients to China to experience cutting-edge domestic diagnosis and treatment services; now, we are promoting Chinese advanced medical technologies and innovative drugs and devices globally, achieving a historic leap from “one-way reception of patients” to “two-way engagement.”

Domestic innovative drug companies going global have long faced information barriers such as unfamiliarity with policies and difficulties in registration. Dr. Wang Jian, R&D Director and Deputy General Manager of Dabo Biotech, said, “At this event, the hospital sets the stage and enterprises play their part. Supporting activities such as achievement displays, industry matchmaking, and policy roundtables effectively bridge the information gap. Companies look forward to using the platform to conduct academic exchanges and learn about Thai policies, so as to efficiently promote domestic anti-cancer innovative drugs going global and benefit cancer patients in Thailand.”

Subsequently, exchange and discussion sessions continued. At the cross-border medical exchange symposium, Chinese and Thai clinical experts shared and discussed cross-border implementation pathways, real-world data interoperability, and access to medicines for international patients. The Thailand-China Innovative Drug Policy Face-to-Face Exchange in the afternoon took the form of roundtable consultations for practical matchmaking on cross-border collaboration mechanisms, introduction of innovative drugs, and international patient referral. During the event, the innovative drug company exhibition area on the fourth floor of RoyalLee Cancer Hospital was open simultaneously, where a number of biopharmaceutical companies showcased cutting-edge R&D achievements, laying a solid foundation for subsequent industry matchmaking and investment cooperation.

The successful holding of this “Thailand-China Hand in Hand: A New Journey for Medicines” event built a high-level dialogue bridge in the field of China-Thailand oncology medicine. With the substantive operation of the Thailand-China Innovative Drug Cooperation Platform, cross-border translation and implementation of innovative drugs now have a clear and feasible practical path. Looking ahead, as the platform continues to deepen its operations, China-Thailand collaborative innovation in cancer diagnosis and treatment will reach a new level, benefiting patients in both countries and lighting up more hope for life.