Record international attendance at CPHI & PMEC China 2025 as China in-licensing deals and international partnering increase

China’s biotech sector is now a key driver of innovation across global pipelines, as CPHI Shenzhen prepares for largest ever influx of foreign dealmakers

Sino-international trade is accelerating as CPHI & PMEC China (June 24–26, 2025) reported a record-breaking international attendance, with a 30% year-on-year increase. The sharp uptick reflects surging demand from Western pharma, with China-based biotech in-licensing fuelling global pipelines, and wider partnering in China.

Remarkably, international executives now account for nearly quarter of all visitors, with over 15,000 being international, led by rapid growth from Europe and the United States. Asia’s largest pharmaceutical event welcomed 109,056 attendees from 147 countries and 3,600 exhibitors across 240,000+ square meters, reinforcing its position as the largest and most globally influential pharma event in Asia.

Despite ongoing tariff tensions, China’s biopharma sector has continued to innovate at pace, taking up some of the investment slack created by weak funding and valuations in the West. In fact, according to Jefferies, China accounted for 32% of all in-licensing deals to big pharma in Q1 2025, up from 28% in 2024 and just 8% in 2021. With cost-efficient, well-funded biotechs advancing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies, China has rapidly become a critical source of innovation for global pharma pipelines — particularly in oncology, autoimmune diseases, and rare conditions.

“We’re seeing growing numbers of senior executives from global pharma companies attend CPHI China to meet with potential partners in person,” said Natasha Jennings, Head of Global Growth Marketing, Informa Markets. “China now delivers a third of in-licensed assets to big pharma and continues to be the largest single market for API production, including complex APIs, while it is also growing as an international hub for finished formulations. So it’s now much more than a key event for the domestic market, it is the biggest single hub for international companies, across the spectrum, trading with China. And, while tariff tension persists, expanding international-China partnering continues to accelerate drug development timelines.”

CPHI & PMEC China 2025 featured 14 product zones spanning the full pharma supply chain — from ingredients and CDMO services to finished dosage, biologics, machinery, and packaging — with expanded Bioengineering and Life Sciences zones both drawing strong international engagement. The content program featured 90+ conferences and more than 600 expert speakers, with heavy focus on cross-border licensing, regulatory cooperation, AI-led R&D, and tech transfer strategies.

Building on the momentum, attention now shifts to CPHI & PMEC Shenzhen (September 1–3, 2025) held in the heart of the Greater Bay Area – significantly for international attendees it is one of the country’s ‘five-day visa free’ regions – a global centre for pharma innovation and pharmaceutical manufacturing. With 10,000 visitors expected, including a growing cohort of Western pharma companies and dealmakers, the event offers a focused environment to connect with licensing-ready Chinese biotechs in one of the world’s most innovation-dense regions.

For more information on attending CPHI & PMEC China 2026 and CPHI Shanghai next June, or exploring global opportunities through the CPHI platform, visit: https://www.cphi-china.cn/en/lp/cphi-pmec-shenzhen-2025

“Shenzhen is where a large share of China’s biotech innovation is happening – especially at early and mid-clinical stages but is also a massive centre for manufacturing” added Jennings. “CPHI Shenzhen is therefore the ideal destination for business development, giving Western pharma a direct access to the heart of China’s most exciting region and potential assets.”