On the 22nd, the Ningbo CEEC Medical Trade (Centralized Procurement) Platform was officially launched. Established under the guidance of the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA), the platform is China’s first specialized cross-border medical trade platform targeting Central and Eastern European countries, and represents an important arrangement based on Ningbo’s geographical characteristics and industrial strengths.
The platform focuses on four core functions: product showcase, supply-demand matchmaking, comprehensive foreign trade services, and data dashboard presentation. It has built a digital trade service system covering the entire pharmaceutical export chain. Adhering to the principle of “covering all categories, serving the entire chain, and reaching the whole world,” it has opened up a complete closed loop covering product display, supply-demand matchmaking, customs clearance, logistics, settlement, and tax rebates. The launch of the platform will effectively help Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises reduce costs of going global and expand overseas markets, while also providing a convenient channel for medical technology and cultural exchanges.
To date, the Ningbo CEEC Medical Trade (Centralized Procurement) Platform has attracted nearly 500 supplier enterprises and more than 20 overseas buyers, with over 4,000 products items (sets) listed, covering six major categories: active pharmaceutical ingredients, formulations, traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, medical consumables, diagnostic reagents, and medical equipment. Over six months of trial operation, the platform has recorded transactions volume exceeding RMB 200 million, and relevant pharmaceutical products have entered countries including Italy and Serbia.
On-site photo of the launch ceremony of the Ningbo CEEC Medical Trade (Centralized Procurement) Platform. Photo provided by the interviewee.
“When Chinese pharmaceutical companies explore overseas markets, they generally encounter difficulties such as complex access standards, information asymmetry between supply and demand, cumbersome cross-border transaction chains, and ineffective centralized procurement matchmaking channels. As a result, the cost of going global is high, and it is difficult to expand the market,” said Yao Chengzhi, Chairman of Ningbo Menovo Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. He stated that the platform has effectively opened up full-chain functions including cross-border display of pharmaceutical products, centralized procurement, supply-demand matchmaking, cross-border transactions, and compliance services. As one of the first enterprises to join the platform, Menovo has increased its publicity channels, expanded its customer sources, and reduced corporate costs through the platform. Since the platform began trial operation, the company has completed transactions worth nearly 10 million US dollars in active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished formulations, basically achieving full market coverage across Central and Eastern European countries.
Tilen Novsak, operations director of the well-known Slovenian pharmaceutical company KRKA,who has worked and lived in China for over 10 years, spoke highly of China’s medical insurance system, advanced pharmaceutical products, and convenient medical services. He expressed the hope that the launch of this platform will bring more convenience and stronger guarantees to business cooperation between Chinese and Central and Eastern European enterprises.
An official from a relevant department of the Ningbo Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) said that in terms of functional design, the platform has achieved online-offline interconnection, categorized and zoned management, and integrated settlement services, and is being advanced as a whole in accordance with the approach of “tackling easier tasks first and harder ones later, advancing step by step, and reserving room for upgrades.” The product showcase module standardizes the onboarding process for high-quality domestic pharmaceutical enterprises and simultaneously opens registration channels for CEE buyers; the supply-demand matchmaking module features core functions such as online inquiries and add-to-cart, and supports communication modes including telephone, e-mail, other offline contacts, and online chat rooms; the comprehensive foreign trade services module integrates five core functions: customs declaration and inspection, logistics matchmaking, tax rebate processing, cross-border settlement, and credit insurance. Next, the platform will continue to improve its functional system and promote more high-quality pharmaceutical products to the CEE market.
Offline product showcase. Photo by Zhu Ping