A media activity of the 2026 Vibrant China Research Tour program took place at the Akeso Greater Bay Area Technology Park in Zhongshan's Cuiheng New District on July 1.

Li Baiyong, co-founder and CSO of Akeso Biopharma Co, said the company has embedded AI functions into infrastructure and production line design of its new plant, creating an intelligent system that empowers both R&D and production and reshaping the traditional model of antibody drug development.

Represented by Akeso, Zhongshan has developed a large-scale and well-structured biopharmaceutical industry cluster.

Data show that Zhongshan is home to over 650 biopharma and related firms, including more than 260 licensed to produce drugs and medical devices, nearly 100 enterprises above designated size, and 40 with annual output exceeding 100 million yuan. The sector's industrial output alone reaches 20 billion yuan, while the massive health industry, encompassing cosmetics, health foods and etc, totals over 66.5 billion yuan.

To support the biopharma sector, Zhongshan has rolled out a package of policy, financial and talent incentives to ease the innovation burden on companies.

In terms of policy, the city provides phased subsidies for R&D of Category 1 new drugs, with up to 65 million yuan per product. Innovative research teams can get up to 30 million yuan, and industrialization projects up to 20 million yuan.