Is China Catching Up?

The chapter examines whether Chinese health-related biotechnology is catching up with leaders in the field. The approach is inspired by Malerba's Sectoral System of Innovation and Production, complemented by Mathew's insight into strategies for latecomer firms. The results show that Chinese scientists are quickly catching up in the output of scientific publications. However, the basic research remains insufficient for the development of a sustainable, innovative industry. The industrial production of biotechnology-based manufacturing of drugs and medical devices is growing slower than their knowledge base. Most firms still manufacture under license or contract low-value “me too” generic pharmaceutical and biosimilar ingredients medicines. The intensity of R&D and patenting in China increased dramatically, especially in the foreign-invested firms but China's share of biotechnology patenting in the US, EPO and Japan are very low. In summary, Chinese biotechnology ‘industry' is catching up with the West, but it has a long way to go.