China's Ministry of Commerce has chosen 15 cities as national export bases for medical products.
The establishment of such bases aims to better push forward China's medical product exports, optimize industrial structure and encourage industrial concentration in certain areas, according to sources with the Science and Technology Department under the ministry. The 15 cities are Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Changchun, Hangzhou, Changsha, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, Tonghua, Taizhou, Zibo and Guilin. Although China's export value of medical products in 2004 hit a record high of US$12 billion, its export structure is not rational enough due to weak independent innovation capacity, the ministry said.