How China's medical tech innovations unlock new possibilities for life

Editor's note: China has built the world's largest healthcare system, covering more than 95 percent of the population with basic medical insurance. Over the past five years, the country has strived to achieve tech innovations in the medical field.

From brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to surgical robots, China's medical technology ecosystem is rapidly translating cutting-edge science into clinical reality.

Earlier this year, China officially crossed a historic threshold in neuro-technology with the successful completion of its first prospective clinical trial of an invasive BCI.

A man who lost all four limbs in a high-voltage electrical accident received a surgically implanted BCI device. After only two to three weeks of adaptive training, the participant was able to type, send text messages and play computer games with speed and accuracy comparable to those of an able-bodied person using a laptop touchpad.

The achievement makes China the second country, after the United States, to advance an invasive BCI system to the clinical trial stage, underscoring its emergence as a powerhouse of original innovation.

"This trial sends a clear message to the global community. Chinese teams possess end-to-end capabilities, from core R&D all the way to clinical application," said Zhao Zhengtuo, research fellow at the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Policy boost

To capitalize on the momentum, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and five other central agencies jointly released a guideline on promoting innovative development of the BCI industry in August 2025.

The document lays out phased targets for 2027 and 2030, aiming to accelerate breakthroughs in upstream hardware, mid-stream BCI systems and downstream application scenarios.

Industry analysts project that China's BCI market will exceed 6 billion yuan ($835 million) by 2028 as clinical indications broaden.

"BCI technology is poised to restore partial physiological function for patients with blindness or aphasia, and to provide therapeutic options for Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, depression and autism," explained Jiang Xiaobing, chief of neurosurgery at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. "Each breakthrough brings new hope to these patients."

Broader medical-device surge

The BCI milestone is part of a larger wave of innovation in China's medical-equipment sector.

The 2025 green paper on the status and trends of China's medical devices reports that the industry has expanded at an average annual rate of more than 12 percent over the past decade, reaching a market size of 1.35 trillion yuan ($187.9 billion) in 2024.

China is now the world's second-largest single-country market, home to the greatest number of manufacturers and the most comprehensive product portfolio on the planet.

China's medical equipment exports reached over 9,000 medical institutions in more than 190 countries and regions last year, according to the China International Conference on Medical Equipment Cooperation held in July.

The country's laparoscopic surgical robots have been exported to 23 nations and its CT scanners and ventilators have been delivered to over 9,000 hospitals worldwide.

Over the past five years, China's medical equipment import and export trade has seen a compound annual growth rate of 9.4 percent, indicating a steady rise in international competitiveness and brand influence, as well as deeper international cooperation, said Hou Yan, chairperson of the China Association of Medical Equipment.

Meanwhile, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved 45 innovative medical devices in the first half of 2025, an 87 percent year-on-year increase, signaling that domestic innovation is entering a sprint phase.