The China Pharmaceutical Industry Development Conference 2026 was held in Zhongshan from September 14 to 16. On September 17, Michelle Xia, founder, chairwoman and CEO of Akeso Inc, delivered a video message congratulating the conference on its successful conclusion.

"As an enterprise cultivated and grown here in Zhongshan, Akeso is greatly encouraged by the continuous improvement of the city's innovation environment," said Michelle Xia. "Looking ahead, Akeso will remain rooted in Zhongshan while reaching out to the world, and continue to strengthen our independent innovation capabilities. We also sincerely invite industry peers from around the world to come to Zhongshan, make full use of the city's excellent innovation environment to keep growing and expanding, and work together to help Zhongshan's biopharmaceutical industry soar."

In 2012, Akeso started out with just 4 people in a laboratory of just over 20 square meters, building the company from scratch. Zhongshan consistently applied its "one policy per enterprise" approach, giving full support to help Akeso put down roots in the city and reach out to the world. To date, Akeso has independently developed more than 50 new drugs spanning major disease areas including oncology, autoimmune disorders, respiratory diseases and central nervous system conditions, establishing itself as a pharmaceutical group with global innovative influence.

In 1994, Zhongshan was approved to establish the National Health Technology Park (NHTP). After more than 30 years of sustained development, the city's biopharmaceutical industry has built a complete chain spanning R&D, evaluation, registration, manufacturing and distribution, earning it the well-deserved title of "Pharma Valley of the Greater Bay Area."