AstraZeneca CEO offers insights on China’s economy, AI-driven healthcare innovation

Pascal Soriot, the Chief Executive Officer of biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, has commended China for fostering a supportive business environment, and emphasized the revolutionary role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry, during a recent interview.

Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN) ahead of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025, Soriot expressed confidence in China’s five-percent economic growth target, highlighting robust policy support and consumer demand as key factors driving the company’s continued growth.

"In Beijing, we are setting up this new research and development center. We are going to invest 20 billion RMB in this center in doing research and development, AI, and new biology in Beijing. The government of Beijing has been incredibly supportive, better than what we could hope for anywhere in the world. So, you've got a commitment by the government, you have a strategy, you have science, you have the talent. So, I think it will happen. There are an enormous number of people in China that are still aiming to do better in life. They want to access a better life, they want to access this common prosperity and common health. So, all of those factors give me really hope and confidence that the economy will continue to grow," he said.

According to Soriot, artificial intelligence holds significant promise in advancing health innovation.

"On the innovation side, it is actually helping us discover new targets, new medicines much faster. It is helping us optimize those molecules, because you discover a target, you have a first scaffold of a molecule and then you have to optimize the molecule. In the past it would take six months, now it takes a week. It's helping us accelerate our clinical trials. So it really has a tremendous impact on the innovation side of healthcare, coming up with new medicines, bringing them to patients. And suddenly biotech companies in China are leveraging this to the full extent because there are a lot of very good AI engineers in China as we all know from hearing about DeepSeek," he said.

Soriot pointed out that AI can transform disease detection and treatment, while enhancing access to timely, high-quality healthcare services.

"An example of where AI can help is we're using a technology developed by a company called Qure AI. And it's an AI technology that scans traditional X-rays, chest X-rays that people are taking for chest infection or whatever other reasons. And we use this to actually diagnose early forms of lung cancer where people can be cured, because surgery would just remove the tumor and they are cured. Early diagnosis of lung cancer is done typically with CT scan. It's expensive, it takes time, so people don't do it. Scanning those traditional X-rays is actually a fantastic way to diagnose patients early. So I think technologies can also help in this area of early diagnosis and treatment of people," he said.

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 opened on Thursday in Boao, south China's Hainan Province.

Founded in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals. Running from March 25 to 28, this year's conference is themed "Asia in the Changing World: Towards a Shared Future."

AstraZeneca CEO offers insights on China’s economy, AI-driven healthcare innovation

A rescue team from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) arrived in Nay Pyi Taw, capital of Myanmar, on Sunday evening, and swiftly proceeded to the area hardest hit by a massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake to assist in search and rescue operations.

The 51-member team, after a brief rest at the Myanmar National Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Nay Pyi Taw, geared up for an overnight journey to Mandalay, the city closest to the quake's epicenter, to begin their crucial rescue efforts.

"I am part of the support team from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA). This time, the HA has dispatched two doctors and two nurses to join the HKSAR rescue mission. We have prepared for possible emergencies, including bringing a large stock of medical supplies and equipment such as ventilators and blood pressure monitors," said Chiu Yuet Chung, one of the rescuers.

"As soon as we received news of such a severe disaster, we immediately began extensive preparations in Hong Kong. While the 'golden 72 hours ' are critical, we ensured that we could deploy as quickly as possible. This time, we were able to prepare and depart in a very short time," said Kong Ka-ho, a senior officer from Hong Kong's Fire Services Department.

Kong said the rescue team had prepared a wide range of equipment, including life-detecting radars, drones, 360-degree cameras, and demolition tools, to assist in the precise search and rescue of trapped individuals.

According to the Hong Kong SAR Government's Security Bureau, the 51-member rescue team comprises personnel from the Security Bureau, Fire Services Department, Immigration Department, and the Hospital Authority. The team also includes two fire search and rescue dogs.

The earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday noon was the largest of the year so far and the strongest continental seismic activity globally in nearly a decade. At least 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing as of Sunday noon, according to the country's State Administration Council on Sunday.

China's HK rescue team rushes to Myanmar quake epicenter to search for survivors