Other BriefingsChina’s AI Healthcare Market (Part II): Opportunities and Strategies for Foreign Investors
China’s AI healthcare market offers high-growth opportunities across imaging, smart hospitals, drug discovery, and rural telemedicine, driven by strong policy backing and digital infrastructure. Foreign investors can tap into this ecosystem through joint ventures, licensing, or Free Trade Zones-based partnerships tailored to regulatory and regional needs.
China’s AI healthcare market is not only the fastest-growing in the world but also one of the most strategically structured for scalable foreign participation. As detailed in our recent market spotlight, the market surged from a valuation of US$1.59 billion in 2023 to a projected US$16.02 billion by 2028, and is expected to reach US$18.88 billion by 2030, reflecting a CAGR of 42.5 percent.
This rapid growth is propelled by a unique combination of factors: centralized and standardized health data, aggressive national policies such as Healthy China 2030, and a healthcare system under pressure from an aging population and persistent rural–urban care imbalances.
Crucially for foreign stakeholders, this expansion is underpinned by state-directed infrastructure, including data-sharing pilots AI-ready smart hospitals, and targeted policy incentives through Free Trade Zones (FTZs) and innovation parks. As China intensifies efforts to localize technology, reduce public health disparities, and digitize healthcare delivery, the role of foreign investors is shifting—from passive capital providers to strategic partners who can bring advanced solutions, co-develop technologies, and embed into regional care delivery ecosystems.
In this second part of the China’s AI healthcare market report, we move beyond market overview to examine what matters most to international players:
- Where the most promising opportunities are (by vertical and use case);
- What barriers to anticipate, including regulatory, data, and operational constraints; and
- How to enter effectively, from joint ventures and licensing to new wholly foreign-owned enterprises (WFOEs) options.
Throughout, we provide case studies, regional comparisons, and examples of success strategies, helping investors map the practical steps required to navigate China’s healthcare AI landscape while remaining compliant, competitive, and aligned with national development priorities.
In this two-part series, we present a deep dive into China’s AI healthcare sector:
- Part I – We begin by outlining the global landscape of AI in healthcare—highlighting key use cases and technology trends—before examining why China has emerged as a particularly dynamic market. We then assess the market’s current size and segment-level growth drivers, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of foreign investor opportunities in Part II.
- Part II – We explore where the most promising opportunities lie—by vertical and use case—identify key barriers, including regulatory, data, and operational constraints; and outline effective market entry strategies, from joint ventures to localization models.
Investment opportunities and niche verticals
China’s AI healthcare ecosystem offers a diverse range of investment opportunities across both mature and emerging application areas. These are shaped by systemic demand, favorable policy conditions, and differentiated local needs across regions and care levels. Below are the most promising verticals for foreign investors, along with context, use cases, and market dynamics.
Medical imaging and diagnostics
Medical imaging is the most advanced and commercially viable vertical in China’s AI healthcare ecosystem. AI algorithms are widely deployed to support early and accurate diagnosis of diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disorders, pneumonia, and bone fractures. These systems enable real-time decision support, reduce radiologist workload, and are increasingly embedded in hospital workflows.
As of mid-2024, 92 Class III AI-powered medical devices had been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), demonstrating clear regulatory support for clinical deployment.
Companies like Infervision, DeepWise, and Shukun Technology are partnering with both local hospitals and global pharma for real-world validation and large-scale rollouts.
Foreign firms entering this space should explore data-cleaning partnerships and co-development JVs with Chinese hospitals to ensure clinical accuracy across diverse patient datasets.
Smart hospital upgrades
China’s “smart hospital” initiatives have accelerated demand for AI systems that improve operational efficiency—from triage, billing, and appointment scheduling, to medical record digitization and supply chain optimization.
Ping An Smart Healthcare has pioneered intelligent hospitals where virtual agents guide patients through registration, payment, and care pathways, while hospital management systems use AI to optimize doctor-patient allocation and bed management.
AI-driven hospital IT integration is particularly attractive in Tier-2 cities, where infrastructure is catching up with patient volume.
For foreign tech firms, adopting a ‘white‑label’ model—where they license a ready-made hospital backend (that is, EMR management, patient portal, telehealth workflow) and rebrand it in Mandarin to meet Chinese regulatory and linguistic standards—offers a lean, scalable market-entry strategy without the need to build core infrastructure from scratch.
AI-accelerated drug discovery
Pharmaceutical R&D in China is embracing AI to shorten drug development cycles and reduce costs. AI is used in target identification, molecule generation, and clinical trial optimization.
- Global pharma giants, including Roche and AstraZeneca, are partnering with Chinese AI startups for biomarker discovery and pre-clinical research.
- The Chinese government has also launched “Intelligent Drug Discovery” initiatives under its 14th Five-Year Plan, which prioritize cross-border collaboration.
Foreign investors can engage via joint research agreements, or through equity investment in China-based biotech-AI hybrid startups that are seeking capital and clinical partners to scale.
Telemedicine and rural healthcare
Rural healthcare remains a national priority, with AI seen as a tool to address physician shortages and uneven care quality. Telemedicine platforms with AI capabilities, particularly low-bandwidth diagnostic tools and smartphone-enabled interfaces, are expanding rapidly:
- Ali Health, JD Health, and Ping An Good Doctor lead this space, offering AI triage tools, prescription fulfillment, and remote follow-ups;
- AI-based chatbots and diagnostic engines help triage patients and flag high-risk cases for escalation to human physicians;
- These solutions are being deployed under government-backed rural digital health pilots, especially in western provinces; and
Foreign companies with expertise in lightweight, mobile diagnostic devices, or language-adaptive AI engines, may find strong traction in these regions—especially if localized for Mandarin and dialectal inputs.
Digital TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Digitalization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an emerging frontier. AI is being used to replicate diagnostic patterns, customize herbal prescriptions, and analyze historical treatment records. However, there are important regulatory limitations on where foreign investors can operate.
Currently, foreign-funded digital TCM ventures are permitted primarily within FTZs like Hainan Boao Lecheng, where pilot regulations allow for data sharing and joint ventures with local hospitals. Outside FTZs, cross-border participation in TCM is restricted by licensing rules and cultural sensitivity norms. Foreign investors interested in TCM-AI integration are advised to structure collaborations via FTZ-based joint ventures, where both regulatory flexibility and access to government support are greater.
One notable example is WeDoctor’s digital TCM platform, which has partnered with regional authorities to trial AI-enabled syndrome pattern analysis and herbal customization tools.
Telehealth and natural language processing (NLP)
AI-powered telehealth platforms increasingly rely on NLP to power virtual assistants, triage bots, and multilingual interfaces. These solutions enhance patient self-service, reduce administrative burdens, and support 24/7 care. Specifically:
- Leading platforms like Tencent Miying and Ping An Good Doctor have integrated NLP engines to support symptom checkers, e-triage, and remote follow-ups;
- NLP is also enabling multilingual support, allowing AI platforms to serve ethnic minority groups and international patients in pilot hospitals; and
- Foreign NLP providers with advanced clinical conversation AI, speech-to-text tools, or EMR transcription systems may find licensing opportunities, especially in urban digital hospitals and national health portals.
Investors should be aware that China’s specialized language datasets, also known as ‘corpora’ (large, structured collections of clinical text, such as doctors’ notes, lab reports, and regional medical guidelines), are often incomplete when it comes to local dialects, Traditional Chinese Medicine terms, or provincial clinical jargon. Without access to these richly annotated corpora, AI models can misinterpret or mistranslate key medical concepts. To overcome this, firms must either fine-tune their algorithms onshore using China-specific datasets or team up with local AI labs and hospital networks that can supply and help curate these essential language resources.
Key barriers to entry in China’s AI healthcare sector, and how industry leaders are overcoming them
Entering China’s AI healthcare market offers high potential returns, but success hinges on navigating structural, regulatory, and operational challenges. The following key barriers have tested both local and foreign players—but select companies have developed replicable solutions that can inform future entrants.
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Entry Barriers and Solutions |
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| Type | Challenge | Real-world example | Strategy |
| Regulatory complexity | China’s healthcare AI regulation is rapidly evolving, with no single unified approval pathway. Regional pilots, NMPA clearances, and parallel oversight from health authorities create a layered compliance environment.
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Infervision, a Chinese AI imaging company, secured approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and subsequently obtainedclearance for its pulmonary nodule detection system. The dual approval underscored the need for high clinical validation and ongoing post-market surveillance.
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Foreign firms should proactively engage with both national and regional regulators early in the development process. Pursuing due approvalsnot only increases market credibility but also helps meet varying local standards.
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| Data privacy and cross-border restrictions | With the enactment of the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) and data localization requirements, patient health data must be stored and processed within China, limiting cross-border AI model training or performance tracking.
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Philips localized its AI imaging operations by establishing secure, in-country data processing centers and customized data-sharing protocols with partner hospitals.
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Foreign firms must design China-specific data infrastructure. This includes localized data centers and full compliance audits to align with cybersecurity and data protection mandates. Early collaboration with Chinese hospital IT teams ensures smoother integration and trust.
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| Fragmented EMR systems and data quality | While the government has mandated unified EMR standards across its 38,000+ public hospitals—creating a backbone of centralized data—actual systems still vary significantly in their interfaces, data fields, and completeness from province to province and between urban and rural facilities.
This inconsistency can sometimes undermine model accuracy and slow nationwide scaling of AI solutions.
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Yitu Technology tackled this by investing in advanced data-cleaning engines and training its models using standardized clinical datasets aggregated through pilot hospital partnerships.
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Plan for data engineering: Even with national EMR standards, budget extensively for data normalization, quality checks, and metadata alignment.
Partner locally: Work with established EMR vendors or health-data integrators who understand both national specifications and regional customizations. Leverage innovation clusters: Engage Tier-3 hospitals in Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Beijing pilot zones, where EMR deployments tend to be most complete and where local authorities actively support AI pilots.
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| Talent shortages and skills gap | There is a shortage of professionals who understand both healthcare and AI, especially in second-tier cities. This limits product localization, regulatory navigation, and hospital-level sales execution. | Baidu’s AI healthcare arm has addressed this by forming partnerships with Chinese universities to co-develop AI-in-medicine curricula, while also running in-house training programs for product and compliance teams.
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Foreign players can localize R&D by hiring Chinese AI engineers and regulatory experts. Establishing joint training programs with local academic institutions also helps build a long-term, stable talent pipeline. |
Strategic playbook: Keys to success for foreign investors in China’s AI healthcare sector
To effectively enter China’s AI healthcare sector, foreign businesses must navigate a highly regulated but strategically liberalizing environment, leverage existing fast-track mechanisms, and adopt nuanced localization strategies.
Leveraging fast-track entry channels for AI-powered medical devices and solutions
China’s fast-track approval mechanisms—most notably in Hainan Boao Lecheng and the Greater Bay Area (GBA)—offer foreign companies a unique opportunity to bring AI-powered healthcare products and technologies to market without the lengthy process of full NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) approval.
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Fast-track entry channels for China’s AI-powered healthcare solutions |
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| Area | Description | Benefits |
| Hainan Boao Lecheng | The zone acts as a sandbox environment, allowing foreign AI health companies to generate clinical validation and commercial traction in a controlled, high-end setting. |
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| Greater Bay Area | While more restrictive than Hainan Boao Lecheng, the GBA still allows for regional deployment and scaling within high-tier hospitals.
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Choosing the right business model
Foreign companies looking to enter China’s AI healthcare sector should consider the following entry modes based on risk appetite, resource availability, and long-term vision:
- Joint ventures: This type of approach embeds an AI healthcare solution directly within China’s existing ecosystem. By collaborating with a local hospital network, technology conglomerate, or established medical-device distributor, foreign firms gain actionable insights into Chinese clinical workflows, patient expectations, and the NMPA’s regulatory landscape. The domestic partner assumes responsibility for approvals, ethics-committee filings, and regional data-security compliance, while the foreign investor contributes advanced algorithmic capabilities and capital. Over time, knowledge flows bidirectionally: regulatory know-how and market credibility flow outward from the partner, and cutting-edge AI expertise flows inward from the investor. This pathway suits those aiming for a long-term strategic presence—entities prepared to share governance, commit resources, and cultivate deep-market relationships.
- Technology licensing: This model offers a more detached entry. Under this arrangement, a domestic licensee acquires rights to the foreign AI engine or software suite, then assumes responsibility for Mandarin interface adaptation, integration with local EMR platforms, and distribution through established channels. Revenue accrues through royalties or usage-based fees, without the need to establish local offices, navigate joint operational structures, or manage day-to-day compliance firsthand. This route appeals to investors seeking predictable, capital-efficient returns on proven technologies, providing exposure to China’s rapidly growing AI-healthcare sector while minimizing operational complexity.
- Direct establishment via WFOEs: Following regulatory relaxations, wholly foreign-owned medical institutions are now permitted in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hainan. This opens up pathways for AI-focused hospitals or diagnostic centers led by foreign players.
Identifying entry points: Pilot zones, hospitals, and accelerators
Pilot Zones like Hainan Boao Lecheng and GBA provide a low-barrier, high-reward environment for initial deployment. These regions are designed to encourage innovation, making them ideal for the initial deployment of AI healthcare solutions with relatively low bureaucratic hurdles.
Meanwhile, Tier-3 hospitals in major innovation hubs like Shanghai and Guangzhou provide fertile ground for real-world testing, particularly for diagnostic tools and workflow optimization systems that require institutional collaboration and clinical feedback.
In addition, AI accelerators and incubators in cities like Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou serve as gateways into China’s broader health-tech ecosystem, offering not just funding, but also strategic partnerships and smoother integration into the local market.
Capitalizing on government policy and incentives
China’s policy landscape offers considerable incentives for AI healthcare projects aligned with national health and technology goals.
- Healthy China 2030 initiative: This strategic plan prioritizes AI to tackle chronic diseases, rural healthcare disparities, and hospital efficiency. Companies focusing on AI solutions for stroke rehabilitation or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management—such as Tencent-backed WeDoctor’s AI-driven chronic disease management platform—are positioned to benefit from government grants and pilot program inclusion.
- Innovation zones and subsidies: Zones like Zhongguancun in Beijing and the Shanghai AI Innovation Park offer tax incentives, subsidized office space, and expedited regulatory reviews. Local companies like iCarbonX, specializing in AI-powered precision medicine, have already thrived by establishing hubs in these zones, leveraging the concentrated ecosystem of investors, policymakers, and talent.
- Leveraging data sharing pilots: Shanghai’s AI Health Data Platform pilot project enables controlled, anonymized data sharing among participating hospitals and research institutes, creating a valuable resource for AI development. Foreign companies entering this space should seek partnership agreements to access such platforms, facilitating better model training while adhering to privacy laws.
Tailoring solutions to China’s healthcare realities
Foreign AI health-tech firms must adapt their offerings to China’s unique healthcare environment, which differs significantly from Western markets in terms of disease prevalence, infrastructure integration, and regional disparities. Understanding these nuances is key to developing impactful and scalable AI solutions.
- Disease-specific focus with high impact: AI products addressing China’s top health burdens gain faster adoption and policy support. Deepwise, for example, developed AI tools for rapid ischemic stroke detection via CT scans, now used in Tier-2 and Tier-3 hospitals to reduce diagnostic delays. Similarly, Infervision’s lung cancer and TB screening tools are widely deployed, aligning with public health goals. Foreign firms can look to similar high-impact areas—stroke, diabetes, cardiovascular disease—for strategic entry points.
- Hospital IT system integration: Hospitals rely on integrated platforms for EMRs, PACS, and telemedicine. Local players like United Imaging Healthcare and Tencent Miying embed AI modules directly into existing platforms, making adoption seamless. Tencent’s cancer screening AI, now active in over 100 hospitals, exemplifies this plug-and-play approach.
- Expanding rural healthcare access: AI-powered telemedicine solutions that deliver remote diagnostics and continuous monitoring—such as AliHealth’s AI-enabled remote consultation—address critical rural healthcare gaps, which remain a critical government priority that foreign investors can leverage through targeted product development.
Why China offers an unmatched opportunity for AI healthcare investment
What distinguishes China’s AI healthcare market is not merely demand—it’s direction. The government’s deep involvement in shaping healthcare AI creates predictable, policy-driven growth areas that foreign businesses can strategically align with.
Key opportunities exist in high-skill AI verticals—such as clinical decision support, surgical robotics, and precision oncology—where local capabilities remain nascent. Meanwhile, underserved Tier 2–3 cities and rural areas represent a vast, largely untapped market for cost-effective, scalable AI tools. Firms offering lightweight, interoperable solutions for telemedicine, mobile diagnostics, and AI-assisted primary care are especially well-positioned. Establishing a foothold in this market requires more than product-market fit.
Long-term success often hinges on strategic alignment with trusted institutions, from state-owned hospital groups and municipal health bureaus to academic-industrial alliances that facilitate clinical validation and local credibility.
Rather than pursuing capital-intensive market entry, many foreign firms can succeed through asset-light strategies:
- Licensing AI technologies to local integrators;
- Delivering backend AI services via white-label partnerships; or
- Investing in or collaborating with Chinese startups that have regulatory access but require technical depth or international branding.
Ultimately, China’s AI healthcare sector is best approached as a multi-tiered, policy-shaped ecosystem, not a single market. Foreign companies that prioritize compliance, specialization, and strategic partnerships will be best positioned to capture sustainable value while contributing to China’s healthcare modernization agenda.
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China Briefing is one of five regional Asia Briefing publications, supported by Dezan Shira & Associates. For a complimentary subscription to China Briefing’s content products, please click here.
Dezan Shira & Associates assists foreign investors into China and has done so since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. We also have offices in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, United States, Germany, Italy, India, and Dubai (UAE) and partner firms assisting foreign investors in The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Australia. For assistance in China, please contact the firm at china@dezshira.com or visit our website at www.dezshira.com.
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