Chinese vice president meets Swire Pacific Limited chairman, Novartis CEO

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Swire Pacific Limited chairman Merlin Swire and Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan, who attended for the China Development Forum 2025 in Beijing, in the Chinese capital on Monday.

When meeting with Swire, Han said China sticks to the right direction of economic globalization, upholds the world trade rules system, and unswervingly advances reform and opening up, which will inject more stability and certainty into global economic development.

Han noted that Swire Pacific Limited, a globally renowned multinational company, has seen strong development in both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He expressed hope that the company will actively contribute to the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port, while also supporting Hong Kong's role as an international aviation hub.

During his meeting with Narasimhan, Han praised Novartis as a world-renowned innovative pharmaceutical company that has made significant contributions to global health. He emphasized that the Chinese government encourages and supports the research and development of innovative drugs, will strengthen intellectual property rights protection in accordance with the law, and strive to create a better innovation environment for foreign companies, including Novartis.

It is hoped that Novartis will seize the opportunity, give full play to its own advantages, deepen and expand mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, and achieve greater development in China, he said.

Swire and Narasimhan spoke highly of China's economic and social development in recent years, and expressed optimism about the country's future prospects and confidence in investing in China.

Both said their respective companies' were committed to long-term cooperation with China, noting that they will continue to expand investment and work toward new outcomes in mutually beneficial cooperation between Britain and China, as well as Switzerland and China.