Italy shares full confidence in China's innovative medical field

Valtero Canepa, coordinator of the healthcare working group of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, said China's increasing demand for quality and innovation supported many Italian industry players' expectation for continuous growth in the China market.

"The Chinese market is evolving. Its government has shown unprecedented interest in introducing innovative therapies and diagnostic tools for patients at an accelerated pace," said Canepa, who is also general manager at Bracco Sine, an Italian pharmaceutical company that has been present in China since 2001.

Some medical industry players from Italy have recently entered the China market, being attracted by the country's higher interest for innovation, he said. He raised an example of an Italian enterprise specializing in vitro diagnostics. It opened a factory in shanghai last year and planned to have continuous growth in its presence.

"China ranks as the world's second in the market value for pharmaceuticals and is very likely to become No 1 in medical devices pretty soon. There is still much space for Italian companies to improve their performance and seize the chances in China," said Canepa.

The two countries will cooperate in various aspects of the health industry chain covering areas such as the design of nursing components, pharmaceuticals, health services, management of patients with acute and chronic diseases, training of medical staff, and high-tech technical solutions, he said.