China's first wholly foreign-owned general hospital to open in Tianjin

China's first wholly foreign-owned general hospital is expected to open soon in the northern municipality of Tianjin following the city's move to issue a practicing license to the medical facility on Monday.

The Perennial General Hospital Tianjin, invested in and built by Singapore's Perennial Holdings Private Limited, has a total investment of around 1 billion yuan (about 140 million U.S. dollars).

Boasting specialty departments including orthopedics, immunology, cardiovascular disease, and oncology, the tertiary hospital will serve the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, marking a significant step in the country's efforts to open up its services sector.

In late November, China unveiled a plan to allow the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in major cities including Tianjin. Experts have said this will help to establish a multi-tiered healthcare service structure and encourage healthy competition within the sector.

The hospital's primary investor also expressed gratification regarding the policy changes, promising to bring quality care to local people.

"We highly commend the Chinese government, the open policy, to allow foreigners to own, wholly own, 100 percent the hospital in China. I am very confident it will bring more foreign investment and bring a lot of confidence to the Chinese market, especially in the healthcare market. We are very delighted to be the first -- we'll bring in advanced medical equipment, as well as the advanced international standard of medical treatment and to collaborate with the local hospitals and the local doctors. What we hope is to raise the medical service standard in China so that we can benefit more local residents, as well as overseas residents who live in China," said Pua Seck Guan, CEO of Perennial Holdings Private Limited.

China has allowed the establishment of joint-venture medical institutions with foreign investors since 2000 and currently has over 60 foreign-invested joint-venture medical institutions.  

China's first wholly foreign-owned general hospital to open in Tianjin

Celebrations were held for a young giant panda cub who turned six-months-old on Wednesday at the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province.

Panda cub Mei Zhu was born at the zoo on June 18 to mother Meng Meng, the eldest of the world's only giant panda triplets who this year turned ten-years-old.

Zookeepers held a public event to mark the adorable panda's half-year milestone on Wednesday, and prepared a special "birthday cake" made with tender bamboo shoots, carrots, and other ingredients for Mei Zhu to feast on.

The party continued as more toys and special equipment was added to her play area, ensuring an entertaining day for the cuddly cub.

After enjoying her cake, Mei Zhu was weighed, measured, and given a physical check-up, with the young cub said to be growing healthily and in good condition, according to staff at the Chimelong Safari Park.

"Currently, the giant panda cub is in the phase of learning to climb trees, engaging in playful wrestling with its mother, and mastering the art of eating bamboo shoots and leaves. She was born at a weight of 178 grams and now weighs 10.88 kilograms. She's in excellent health," said giant panda keeper Chen Shuqing.

Mei Zhu was the first newborn panda at China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas' Guangdong Site this year.

Her mother Meng Meng was also born in Guangzhou back in July 2014, along with her two brothers Shuai Shuai and Ku Ku.

Celebrations as giant panda cub turns six-months-old in Guangzhou