Published by ChinaMNC · Ruicheng

China's Health-Sector Priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan: What Foreign Founders Should Know

A practical briefing for foreign founders on the health and wellness priorities set out at China's National Health Conference, and what they signal for company registration and operations in the sector.

Why This Policy Meeting Matters to Foreign Founders

A national health conference held in Beijing on 12–13 October 2026 set the direction for China's health and wellness sector during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The meeting was addressed by Xi Jinping, who stressed that this period is decisive for reaching the goal of building a "Healthy China" by 2035. Premier Li Qiang gave a concluding speech, and senior leaders Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi attended.

For foreign founders, the relevance is practical rather than abstract. Health, wellness, medical services, medical insurance, pharmaceuticals and traditional medicine are all areas where the state has now signalled sustained policy attention. If you are registering a company, forming a joint venture or planning a product launch in any of these fields, the priorities below indicate where official support, regulatory focus and market demand are likely to concentrate.

The Stated Direction of Travel

Xi described health as a marker of national strength and said the Party has, since its 18th National Congress, placed protection of people's health in a priority strategic position. According to the source, China has built the world's largest systems for medical services, traditional medicine, disease prevention and control, and medical insurance.

The "Healthy China" being pursued is described as balanced, inclusive, high quality and efficient. It is meant to have strong capabilities in health management, disease prevention and control, medical services, insurance support, pharmaceutical innovation and talent development, so that growing public demand for health can be met and key health indicators keep improving.

Founders should read this as a statement of intent: the system is expected to become broader and more capability-driven, not simply larger.

Health in All Policies: A Compliance Signal

The meeting called for a "health-first development strategy" and for health protection to be embedded across policies. It stated that planning, policy design, project appraisal and construction should all give priority to health impacts.

For a foreign-invested company, this is a reminder that health-related considerations can appear in approvals and project assessments beyond the health regulator itself. When preparing an application, it is sensible to document how your project affects public health, environmental conditions and consumer safety, and to expect such factors to be weighed by local authorities.

Prevention and Public Health

Prevention was described as the most economical and effective health strategy. The meeting called for work on foundational and source-level health issues, public education on health concepts and self-management, attention to young people's habits, better ecological and living environments, encouragement of fitness and healthy leisure, stronger food safety supervision, and a disease prevention and control system able to prevent large-scale outbreaks.

• Food and nutrition businesses: food safety supervision was explicitly emphasised, so expect continued scrutiny of labelling, ingredients and supply-chain documentation.
• Fitness, wellness and consumer health products: official encouragement of fitness and healthy lifestyles supports demand, but claims made in marketing will need to stay within advertising and health-claim rules.
• Public-health technology: the emphasis on prevention and outbreak control points to continued interest in monitoring, testing and health-management tools.

Medical Services, Traditional Medicine and Innovation

The meeting identified raising the overall level of medical services as a key task. It called for a project to strengthen the foundations of healthcare, better positioning and layout of medical institutions, and promotion of tiered diagnosis and treatment so that people can receive care nearby. It also called for stronger chronic disease prevention and control, a full chain of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and management, mechanisms for inheriting and innovating traditional Chinese medicine, and closer integration of Chinese and Western medicine.

It further called for basic research and original innovation in health, transfer of scientific and technological results, and growth of the health industry, alongside better patient experience.

For foreign founders, the practical implications include:

• Innovation partnerships: the stated support for research and commercialisation of results creates openings for collaboration with hospitals, universities and local firms.
• Traditional medicine: the sector is framed as an asset to be modernised, so products and services combining traditional approaches with modern standards may find a policy tailwind — subject to the applicable registration and claims rules.
• Medical institutions: foreign investment in medical institutions remains governed by specific entry rules; the call to optimise institutional layout does not by itself change those rules.

Reform of Medical Services, Insurance and Pharmaceuticals

The meeting described reform as a powerful driver and identified coordinated development and governance of medical services, medical insurance and pharmaceuticals as the main direction. It called for implementing reform plans for public medical institutions, deepening public hospital reform with a public-interest orientation, and strengthening support for county-level and primary-care institutions.

It also called for a multi-tier medical insurance system, better policies on pooled procurement of drugs and consumables, insurance payment and fund use, a sound drug supply and use mechanism, an improved national essential medicines system, and stronger drug quality and safety supervision.

Founders in pharmaceuticals, devices or digital health should note that procurement, payment and quality supervision are treated as one connected system. Pricing and reimbursement strategy therefore deserves early attention, not only product approval.

Talent, Professional Standards and International Cooperation

The meeting stressed building a strong cadre and talent team across the health system, selecting leaders for health authorities and institutions, developing a medical workforce sufficient in number and sound in structure and quality, improving medical ethics and professional conduct, and fostering respect for doctors.

It also called for advancing a global community of health for all, joint responses to major health challenges, deeper cooperation in health under the Belt and Road Initiative, innovation in foreign health assistance, and better communication of China's health story.

For foreign founders, this signals continuing space for cross-border cooperation and international projects, while reinforcing that local hiring, qualifications and professional standards will remain closely regulated.

Practical Takeaways

• Choose your registration category carefully. Health services, medical institutions, pharmaceuticals, devices, food and wellness products fall under different licensing regimes; confirm the correct scope before applying.
• Build quality and safety documentation early. Food safety, drug quality and supervision were all named as priorities.
• Map the reimbursement pathway. Procurement and insurance payment policies are explicitly part of the reform agenda.
• Watch local implementation. The meeting sets direction; provinces and municipalities will translate it into specific measures.
• Engage local advisers. Use qualified Chinese counsel and tax advisers for licensing, market access and incentive questions.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.