Longevity Ready? The Healthy Ageing Innovation and Economic Opportunities in China

Longevity Ready?

The Healthy Ageing Innovation and Economic Opportunities in China

A report on the healthy longevity innovation ecosystem

UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing May 2025

©Linda Pomerantz Zhang

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Glossary

(Artificial Intelligence)

(Biopharmaceuticals)

Computer systems simulating human intelligence, widely ap-plied in digital health, robotics, and ageing solutions.

The biological study of ageing and longevity mechanisms.

Pharmaceuticals developed through biotechnology, including innovative drugs.

Chinese Academy of Sciences. China’s leading research institu-tion in science and technology.

Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. A long-term dataset on Chinese ageing, health, and demographics.

Local health and social care services for older adults.

Contract research/development & manufacturing organisations supporting biopharma R&D.

Cognitive disorder affecting memory and daily functioning, with high prevalence in ageing populations.

Ratio of dependent groups (children and older adults) to work-ing-age population.

Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), AI, and mobile systems to deliver health services.

Older people living alone or only with a spouse.

Four grandparents, two parents, one child – typical family mod-el in China.

Ageing

Greater Bay Area. Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou innova-tion cluster.

AI models creating new content (e.g., text, images), increasingly applied in healthcare.

Multidisciplinary study of ageing and older adults.

WHO-defined concept of maintaining functional ability for wellbeing in older age.

China’s national strategy for public health and ageing by 2030.

Ecosystem

vs. Healthspan

Networks of researchers, firms, governments, and citizens ena-bling innovation.

Intellectual Property. Legal rights protecting inventions, patents, and knowledge.

Average expected years of life for a population.

Lifespan = years lived; Healthspan = years lived in good health.

Services for those with chronic illness or disability.

Long-Term Care Insurance. China’s pilot programme for fi-nancing long-term ageing care.

Market and economic opportunities linked to the ageing popula-tion.

Ministry of Science and Technology, China. Government min-istry overseeing science and innovation policy.

Fund Sustainability

National Bureau of Statistics, China. Official provider of demo-graphic and socio-economic data.

National Health Commission. China’s national health authority, including ageing policy.

National Natural Science Foundation. China’s main research funding body.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. In-tergovernmental body providing policy benchmarks.

Financial viability of pension systems under demographic ageing.

Personal Information Protection Law, China. Law regulating data protection and cross-border data transfer.

Innovation Laboratory

Pilot mechanisms for testing and scaling ageing-related policies.

Age Reform

Clusters (Innovation

Gradual increase of statutory retirement age from 2025–2040 in China.

Regional centres of innovation such as Beijing, Yangtze River Delta, Great Bay Area.

Tsinghua University Science Park. Leading Chinese science park linking academia, industry, and government.

World Intellectual Property Organization. UN agency oversee-ing global IP protection and innovation indices.

Executive Summary

China is not preparing for a demographic transformation—it is living it. With over 310 million people aged 60 or older, representing nearly a quarter of the world’s older population, China stands at the epicentre of humanity’s most significant demographic shift. By 2035, this figure will exceed 400 million, creating an unprecedented convergence of challenge and opportunity that will fundamentally reshape how the world approaches healthy ageing.

This is not a distant challenge requiring passive observation. It is today’s reality demanding immediate, decisive strategic response through deep international collaboration. Healthy Ageing is a shared agenda with mutual interest in innovation and solutions.

The Scale of Transformation

China’s ageing-related economy will explode from RMB 7 trillion (£726 billion) in 2024 to RMB 106 trillion (£11 trillion) by 2050, a fifteen-fold increase that will create entirely new industries while transforming healthcare, technology, financial services, and infrastructure.

Unlike developed nations that aged gradually, China’s demographic transition is occurring at breakneck speed, compressing decades of change into years and positioning the nation as the defining force in the global longevity economy.

This scale creates both acute pressures and extraordinary innovation potential. Like many developed countries, China faces

interconnected crises: workforce shrinkage threatening pension sustainability, healthcare systems overwhelmed by managing multiple chronic conditions, stark urban-rural inequalities, and changing traditional family care structures. Yet these same challenges are catalysing the world’s most ambitious longevity innovation ecosystem, combining massive scale, technological sophistication, and unparalleled policy implementation capacity.

Why the UK Must Move Now

The UK possesses unique capabilities to partner with China in this transformation. UK world-leading expertise in science and technology, life-course innovation, evidencebased public health and social care, standards and citizen co-creation approaches creates powerful synergies with China’s scale and implementation capacity. NICA’s proven fouryear engagement with China’s healthy ageing ecosystem demonstrates how culturally sensitive collaboration delivers exceptional outcomes through accelerated market access, joint R&D initiatives, technology and policy exchange.

However, this strategic window is closing rapidly. Other competitors are deepening their engagement and leveraging proximity to establish preferential partnerships. Despite trade tensions, the United States maintains significant research collaborations. The current moment represents a critical inflection point –considered commitment now to comprehensive

longevity partnerships will shape global standards and capture market leadership for generations.

The Collaboration Imperative

China’s demographic transformation will define global ageing outcomes. The question is not just whether China is longevity ready - China is defining longevity readiness for the world.

Success requires moving beyond projectbased and short-term engagement toward strategic, enduring institutional commitment. Renewed, substantial, long-term investment in UK-China collaboration grounded in mutual understanding, aligned policy priorities, and complementary capabilities. This means sustained dedication to ongoing dialogue, shared investment, and joint innovation in addressing the world’s most significant demographic transition.

By working in genuine partnership, and with considered informed coordination and government support for institutions and businesses, the UK and China can generate transformational outcomes that extend far beyond bilateral benefits, creating exportable models for healthy longevity that will improve lives globally while capturing enormous economic opportunities. The window is closing. The time for decisive action and commitment is now.

®Cajeo Zhang

Key Demographics and Projections

Current Demographic Profile

China is undergoing a profound demographic transformation, with over 220 million people aged 65 and above in 2024, accounting for 15.6% of its total population (NBS, 2025). These figures were 36.25 million (29%), 61.2 million (18%), and 12.7 million (19%) relatively in Japan (SBJ, 2024), United States (US Census, 2025), and United Kingdom (UK Parliament, 2024). China’s demographic shift is creating significant demands on its health and social care, pension, and financial systems.

As in other regions, this demographic shift poses critical challenges to economic sustainability, social cohesion, and demands urgent innovation, policy adaptation, investment, and international collaboration.

Looking Ahead

China’s population aged 60 and above is projected to surpass 400 million by 2035.

This has implications across all sectors, but especially in health and care. A particularly urgent concern is the rising prevalence of dementia: according to a 2024 official report, more than 16 million people in China were living with dementia in 2024–25, including Alzheimer’s disease (which accounts for 60-70% of cases), vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and other dementia types (Liu et al, 2024), accounting for nearly a third of global cases. Without effective intervention and innovation, this number is projected to reach at least 40 million by 2050, posing profound challenges to China’s healthcare system, long-term care infrastructure, finances, and family caregiving models (Reuters, 2025).

Age Distribution in China 2014-2024

Share of population aged 60 and older in China from 1950 to 2020 with forecasts until 2100

Demographic Transition Implications

China’s ageing trajectory is marked by a unique set of structural and historical dynamics that distinguish it from many high-income countries. Unlike Western nations that have undergone gradual demographic ageing over the course of a century or more, China is experiencing this shift at an unprecedented pace and scale, compressing the transition into just a few decades.

The proportion of people aged 60 and above has more than doubled in just two decades, reaching 22% by 2024. This rapid shift is occurring while China remains a middle-income economy, “growing old before getting rich.”

It reflects the challenge of managing age-related health and social care expenditures and institutional transformation before per capita income levels reach the thresholds typically associated with mature welfare systems.

rural hometowns, a phenomenon that has led to the rise of socalled “left-behind older people.”

According to a survey jointly conducted by six government departments, including China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Health Commission, the proportion of older individuals living alone or only with their spouses, referred to as “empty nesters”, has risen significantly. In 2021, empty nesters accounted for 59.7% (about 30 million) of the older population, up from 49.3% in 2010. Notably, the proportion was slightly higher in rural areas, standing at nearly 62%, with limited access to care infrastructure (The State Council, 2024).

16 Million

people in China were living with dementia in 2024

4-2-1

family structure; four grandparents, two parents, and one child.

One of the most significant socio-demographic consequences of China’s past population policies is the emergence of the “4-2-1” family structure; four grandparents, two parents, and one child. This structure places significant caregiving responsibilities on the younger generation, both emotionally and financially, especially in the context of internal migration and urbanisation. Millions of young adults have moved to urban areas for employment, leaving behind older parents in

At the same time, China’s shrinking working-age population and a rising old-age dependency ratio to 22.5% - the number of older people (65+) per 100 working-age adults, highlighting the growing increasing pressure on traditional, family-based care models. While cultural expectations of filial piety remain deeply rooted, shifting economic realities, urban lifestyles, and geographic separation are posing challenges to the long-term sustainability of these models. These pressures point to an urgent need for a redefinition of care responsibilities, with expanded roles for community-based services, long-term care financing frameworks, and technology-enabled support systems to ensure sustainable and equitable ageing care.

Projected number of people with dementia in the Asia Pacific region in 2030

©Bryan

Key Challenges

Economic and Social Pressures

China’s demographic transition is unfolding at a scale and speed that presents important economic and social challenges. Over the next decade, an estimated 300 million people currently aged 50 to 60 will exit the workforce which represents nearly 40% of China’s current labour force of 772 million (NBS China, 2023), sharply reducing the working-age population and placing growing pressure on public pension schemes and social insurance funds. According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the basic pension fund may begin to run a deficit as early as 2035 without systemic reform (Master, 2024). At the same time, labour shortages in key sectors, such as healthcare, construction, and manufacturing, may intensify, potentially constraining productivity and growth. These pressures are amplified by regional disparities and the need to rebalance economic models toward more inclusive and serviceoriented development.

Healthcare System Strain

The rising issue of age-related conditions, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia, is rapidly outpacing China’s existing healthcare capacity, creating both clinical and social care demands that China’s health system or indeed any system internationally is not yet fully equipped to manage. Moreover, vast rural–urban disparities persist: while urban centres are increasingly adopting digital health tools and integrated care models, many rural regions continue to suffer from shortages of geriatric specialists, community clinics, and even basic diagnostic equipment.

China’s three-tier hospital system classifies facilities by capability: Grade I (primary) hospitals (under 100 beds) provide basic community care similar to local clinics; Grade II (secondary) hospitals (100-500 beds) serve regional populations with comprehensive medical services and some teaching functions; and Grade III (tertiary) hospitals (over 500 beds) are major urban medical centres offering specialised care, research, and advanced medical education.

In 2023, there were 6,877 general hospitals with geriatric medicine departments at the Grade II level and above in China, with 56.5% lacking a dedicated geriatric department, according to Ministry of Health data (NHC China, 2024). The fragmented nature of primary care and limited continuity across providers further constrains efficient long-term management of chronic conditions.

Although China offers more hospital beds (5.2 per 1,000 people) than the UK (2.45 per 1,000) (Statista, 2025), this indicates challenges in system efficiency rather than wider coverage. Over 60% of patients treated in tertiary hospitals could be managed at the primary care level—unlike in the UK, where a stronger primary care system prevents unnecessary hospitalisations. As a result, specialised geriatric services remain concentrated in urban centres, leaving older people in rural and lower-tier cities with limited access.

Policy Implementation Challenges

Beyond healthcare, demographic pressures are straining the broader social policy framework. While China’s

centralised governance model allows for swift policy rollout, implementation is proving more complex. The retirement age reform—designed to gradually raise ages to 63 for men and 55–58 for women by 2040—has triggered significant public concern, particularly among manual workers facing physically demanding roles.

Local governments, meanwhile, must reconcile national directives to expand ageing care with shrinking tax revenues linked to workforce decline. Healthcare reforms that require restructuring of hospital systems face institutional complexity, while pension adjustments are complicated by long-standing practices in state-owned enterprises. These intersecting challenges suggest that success will depend not only on policy design but also on sustained investment, labour protections, reskilling opportunities, and effective public communication.

Family Structure Evolution

The traditional model of ageing care centred on multigenerational households and filial responsibility is under growing strain. As introduced earlier, the rapid urbanisation and internal migration have dispersed families across regions. The “4-2-1” dynamic reduces the capacity of families to provide traditional forms of care, especially when compounded by work obligations and rising living costs. As social expectations and lifestyles evolve, there is increasing demand for formal long-term care services, community support, and new models of intergenerational solidarity.

Key Opportunities

Market Size and Growth Potential

China’s ageing population presents the world’s largest market for ageing-related products and services. As of 2024, the ageing care products market reached 7 trillion yuan (GBP £726 billion), with over 490,000 ageing care related businesses operating nationwide at the end of 2023 (Xinhua, 2024). Projections indicate that by 2050, the consumption market for individuals over 60 will expand to approximately 106 trillion yuan (GBP £11 trillion), underscoring substantial opportunities for innovation and investment in this sector (Tian, 2025).

Longevity Innovation Ecosystem Convergence

The intersection of China’s ageing demographics with its robust technology sector, including AI, biotechnology, and medical devices, fosters unique opportunities for breakthrough innovations in healthy ageing. China is pursuing a comprehensive national strategy to lead in medical AI by accessing both domestic and global bio-datasets, investing heavily in research, and promoting commercialisation through supportive policies. Its rapid growth in medical AI research,

rivalling that of the US, and mobilisation of major tech firms into the sector position it as a potential global leader (Schuerger, Venkatram, & Quinn, 2024).

The national strategy includes the ‘New Generation AI Development Plan (2017)’, the ‘14th Five-Year Plan for Bioeconomy Development (2021-2025)’, ‘Healthy China 2030 Initiative’, and the ‘Made in China 2025’, aiming to advance its goals for bioeconomy leadership.

China’s central, local, and provincial governments collectively invested US $100 billion (£74 billion) during the 2016-2020 period to fulfil biotechnology R&D directives (Moore, 2020), with the biotechnology market valued at USD 128.7 billion (£95.83 billion) and expected to grow to UDS 482.9 billion (£359.59 billion) by 2032, reflecting a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 18.2% between 2026 and 2032 (VMR, 2025).

By 2025, China expects steady growth in the bioeconomy’s contribution to GDP and a sharp rise in the number of bioeconomy enterprises earning over 10 billion yuan annually, positioning it to achieve its 2035 goal of global bioeconomy leadership through sustained state-directed investment that prioritises this sector as essential to economic transition (Kuo, 2025; The State Council, 2022; OECD, 2023; WHO, 2025).

490,000 £11

ageing care related businesses operating nationwide at the end of 2023

Xinhua, 2024

is the estimated value of the consumption market for individuals over 60 by 2050

Tian, 2025

©Javier Quiroga

Key Opportunities

Technology Adoption Readinessal

China’s advanced digital infrastructure and high technology adoption rates among the older people create favourable conditions for digital health solutions, telemedicine, and smart ageing technologies.

The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a powerful accelerator, forcing rapid adoption of telemedicine and remote monitoring systems that might otherwise have taken years to implement— with telehealth consultations increasing by over 20times during lockdowns and remaining elevated post-pandemic (Xu et al., 2025).

Initiatives such as telemedicine platforms and communitybased health monitoring systems have been implemented to enhance healthcare access for older adults. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics into ageing care services is rapidly advancing, offering innovative solutions to the challenges posed by an ageing population (Xinhua, 2025; WHO, 2021).

Policy Innovation Laboratory

China’s centralised policy implementation capability allows for rapid pilot programmes and policy experimentation at a scale unmatched globally which is an asset in responding to its unprecedented demographic shift. With over 310 million people over the age of 60, China can pilot smart ageing technologies across entire urban districts.

The government has released high-profile guidelines aimed at deepening ageing care service reforms, including the development of home-based care, nursing facilities, and protection for older people (ChinaDaily, 2024). Furthermore, pilot programmes for smart ageing care have been launched, focusing on integrating smart health scenarios like family health management and “Internet Plus” healthcare (CDB, 2023).

However, scale and speed do not guarantee success. Despite ambitious policy announcements, outcomes have varies, offering lessons for future implementation. Differences in implementation remain, particularly between urban and rural areas. Local governments may face challenges in rollouts due to resource constraints or limited capacity. Cultural norms, such as a preference for family-based ageing care, can also limit the uptake of institutional or digital solutions. These tensions reveal a broader truth: even highly centralised systems face complexities to translating national strategies into equitable and sustainable local action when faced with complex, socially embedded challenges like ageing.

Ultimately, while China’s policy environment offers a unique “living lab” for ageing innovation, it also illustrates the limits of scale without localisation—a valuable lesson for international part-ners seeking both to learn from and collaborate within the Chinese ecosystem.

©Kaiyv Zhang

The country’s biopharmaceutical industry is also making significant strides, with local companies progressing multiple firstin-class or best-in-class assets through clinical trials to regulatory approval.

In 2020 alone, 23 Chinese biopharma companies went public, with seven of the world’s top ten largest biopharma IPOs between 2018 and 2020 originating from China, showcasing the industry’s dynamism and appeal to investors (Han, Le Deu, Zhang, & Zhou, 2021). These developments underscore China’s transition from a generics-focused pharmaceutical industry to one that is increasingly innovation-driven, with local companies achieving notable milestones in drug development and regulatory approvals.

This transformation mirrors China’s success in electric vehicles—both industries reflect a strategic shift from lowcost manufacturing to high-value innovation, supported by coordinated state invest-ment and market timing. Just as Chinese EV companies like BYD and NIO emerged as global competitors within a decade, Chinese biopharma is following a similar trajectory from generics producer to innovation leader, though regulatory complexities mean this transition will likely take longer to fully materialize in global markets.

China’s share of the global biopharmaceutical innovation pipeline expanded from 4.1% in 2015 to 13.9% in 2020, indicating a substantial rise in innovative drug development activities.

Total market value of listed innovative China biotechs and CRO/ CDMO1 players on major stock exchanges2 ,$ billion

Number of newly listed biotechs and ecosystem players, by exchange

Government Policies and Strategic Frameworks

China has established comprehensive policy frameworks to address population ageing. Central to this effort are the ‘13th and 14th Five-Year Plans for Healthy Ageing’, which reflect a shift from reactive care to proactive population-level health management. These plans underscore the state’s intention to move beyond medicalised models of ageing by fostering integrated, community-based, and technology-enabled systems of support. At the core of these strategic plans is the recognition that ageing is not only a social and healthcare issue, but also an economic and innovation imperative.

The 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020) marked the country’s first national strategy focused on healthy ageing. It prioritised improvements in older people’s health services, health education, and the integration of medical and social care. Building upon this, the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) deepens commitments to develop a multi-tiered ageing care system, enhance access to quality healthcare for older people, and promote integrated services that address both medical and daily living needs (The State Council, 2022). These plans serve as national blueprints, guiding local governments, health systems, and industry players in building a more age-ready society.

Retirement Age Reform

Life expectancy in China has risen from around 72 years in 2000 to 78 years in 2021 and is projected to exceed 80 years by 2035 (Bai et al, 2023). Over the same period, healthy life expectancy

increased from about 63 to 69 years (Yao et al, 2023), leaving a persistent gap of nearly a decade spent in poor health.

In response to these demographic shifts and increasing life expectancy, the government has approved a gradual increase in the statutory retirement age, effective from January 1, 2025. Over a 15-year period, the retirement age will rise from 60 to 63 for men, from 55 to 58 for women in white-collar positions, and from 50 to 55 for women in blue-collar roles.

This reform aims to address the economic challenges posed by a shrinking workforce and an ageing population, with life expectancy in China having risen to 78 years as of 2021 and projected to exceed 80 years by 2050. Additionally, starting in 2030, the minimum years of basic pension contributions required to receive monthly benefits will gradually increase from 15 to 20 years. These reforms aim to extend workforce participation, relieve pressure on pension funds, and improve the long-term sustainability of China’s ageing and social security systems (CGTN, 2024; Master, 2024).

While they may help support fiscal sustainability and modestly boost growth, they also present short-term adjustments, such as managing labour costs and addressing youth employment considerations. Beyond financial necessity, the reform offers an opportunity to reframe later life. This is not merely as an extension of work, but as a stage for healthy and flexible second careers, expanded participation in the silver economy, lifelong learning, and improved financial and care systems, transforming the 60+ years into an “opportunity zone” for productivity, innovation, and demand.

Table 1 Healthy Ageing Policies in China

Policy Instrument Key Elements Implications for Innovators / UK Partners

14th Five-Year Plan for Healthy Ageing (2021-2025)

LTC Insurance Pilots (2016-ongoing)

Retirement-Age Reform (2025–2040)

Community ‘15-Minute Service Circle’

Prevention, community care, smart-health tech

Mixed financing, eligibility assessments Incremental age increases; gender specifics

within

©Treesan

Government Policies and Strategic Frameworks

Community-Based Care Initiatives

In line with the strategic shift towards ageing in place, China has significantly expanded its home and community-based care infrastructure. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, central government funding has supported the development and upgrading of community facilities to provide care closer to home (CGTN, 2024). As part of this initiative, 303,600 homebased beds have been renovated for nursing needs, and 535,800 individuals have received home-based care services (The State Council, 2024). The expansion of localised, accessible care points reflects China’s aim to reduce reliance on institutional care while meeting rising demand for flexible service models.

Long-term Care Insurance Pilots

Since 2016, China has initiated long-term care insurance (LTCI) pilot programmes to explore sustainable models for ageing care financing and service delivery across 49 cities, now covering 180 million people (The State Council, 2024). Aimed at shifting part of the care burden from families to formal systems, the pilots are a cornerstone of China’s efforts to build a nationwide framework for sustainable ageing care financing and service delivery. They represent one of the most significant experiments in social protection reform for older people in China (Zeng et al., 2024)

While ambitious in scope, the pilots encounter important structural and operational challenges. These include wide regional variation in design, which complicates national standardisation; a heavy reliance on medical insurance funds (70%), highlighting the importance of stronger financial governance; and considerable workforce shortages, particularly in rural areas with limited access to formal services. The system also contends with risks such as misuse, alongside the need to strengthen public awareness and trust, which limit participation—especially where traditional reliance on family care remains strong (Zhu, 2024).

Despite these constraints, the LTCI pilots reflect how China’s longevity ecosystem is evolving through state-led experimentation and gradual integration into existing welfare systems. They have alleviated some family burden, expanded access to care, and offered a testing ground for policy tools that blend health, social care, and financing reform.

In the broader strategic context, the LTCI pilots embody China’s approach to longevity: a delicate balancing act between innovation and control, social equity and economic sustainability, and the shifting boundaries between family responsibility and state provision.

©Peijia Li

Innovation Landscape

Research Excellence and Infrastructure

China has established itself as a major force in scientific research, with seven Chinese universities or institutions ranked in the global top ten for research output volume according to the Nature Index as of 2024 (Crew, 2024)(See Table 2). The 2024 Leiden Ranking, which assesses universities based on bibliometric indicators including the proportion of publications among the top 10% most frequently cited, places six Chinese institutions in the global top ten for research quality (CWTS, 2024)(See Table 3). China also accounted for 38% of all invention-patent filings worldwide in 2023 and recorded its fourth consecutive year of patent-filing growth (WIPO, 2024).

The United States remains China’s leading academic research collaborator, accounting for 33.7% of all internationally coauthored publications involving China, followed by the United Kingdom with 13.8% (see Table 4). Among the top 20 universities collaborating with China globally, there are four UK universities including University College London with over 10,700 co-authored publications with China, Oxford University (8,675 publications), Imperial College London (8,625 publications), and the University of Cambridge (highest citation impact among the four UK universities).

University Research Centres

Healthy ageing requires a broad interdisciplinary approach encompassing medical sciences, technology, economics, urban design, and social policy. Leading Chinese universities have developed focused specialisations in core areas while maintaining interdisciplinary collaboration as a key strength, focusing on areas including (See Table 5):

• Geriatric medicine and gerontology

• Biogerontology and longevity research

• Digital health and telemedicine

• Social gerontology and ageing policy

• Assistive technologies and robotics

Research Commercialisation and Patent Performance in China

China has prioritised the commercialisation of research as a key driver of innovation, supported by major national strategies such as the “Made in China 2025” initiative and the “14th Five-Year Plan”. These policies, along with Industry-University Research Collaboration programmes, have strengthened the transfer of academic knowledge and technology to the market. The government has also established high-tech parks and technology transfer offices to connect businesses with cutting-edge innovation. To further boost private sector involvement, financial incentives such as tax relief, grants, and subsidies are provided, with growing venture capital investment in AI, biotechnology, and clean energy, often backed by state partnerships.

A strong indicator of this innovation drive is patent activity. China now leads globally in patent fillings and grants. In 2024, China granted approximately 1.045 million invention patents, bringing its total of valid domestic invention patents to about 4.76 million, the first country to surpass 4 million patent grants (Wininger, 2025), The impact of these patents varies, particularly when compared to the United States. In the AI domain, for example, U.S. patents receive on average 13.18 citations, compared with 1.90 citations for Chinese patents (Buntz, 2024), reflecting differences in citation practices and innovation pathways between the two countries. While the U.S. maintains a concentration of highly cited “breakthrough” patents, China’s expansive patent base demonstrates a strategy emphasising broad technological coverage and stepwise development, which lays a strong foundation for future large-scale breakthroughs.

Table 2 Institution ranking: Nature Index 2024 Research Leaders

5

4

Table 5 Universities with Healthy Ageing Centres

University Flagship Centre Illustrative Strengths

Peking University

Centre for Healthy Ageing & Development Studies (CHADS)

Fudan University

Fudan Institute on Ageing (launched 2021)

Tsinghua University

Table 4 Benchmarking China’s academic research output with comparator countries (2020-24)

Tsinghua University

IDG/McGovern Brain & Ageing Programme

25-year longitudinal CLHLS dataset, policy modelling, geriatric demographics (chads.nsd.pku.edu.cn)

It is the first ageing research entity in Chinese universities. It integrates resources from social-science & public-health and other disciplines for “Chinese solutions” to longevity (fudan.edu.cn)

Founded in 2013, it focuses on brain science and neurodegenerative diseases. It integrates neuroscience and neuroengineering to explore mechanisms underlying brain function and disorders, and translational trials in Alzheimer’s disease (mcgovern.life.tsinghua.edu.cn)

Research Center for Ageing User Experience and Service System Design (AeX), the Future Laboratory

— Patents by Country 2025, World Population Review “ “

A flagship initiative dedicated to ageing research. AeX focuses on enhancing the daily lives of older adults through interdisciplinary approaches that integrate design, engineering, psychology, and technology (https://thfl.tsinghua.edu.cn/en//index.htm)

China has authorised over 2.53 million patents in the past five years, with a 13.4% average annual growth rate. The average ownership of invention patents in China reached 7.5 per 10,000 people, almost twice as much as that at the end of 2017. In 2023, the country accredited about 798,347 patents.

According to its 15-year (2021-2035) IPR development plan, China has set a clear target that the value of patent-intensive and innovative industries should contribute 13% of the country’s GDP by 2025.

Innovation Funding Landscape

Apart from commercialisation, China has also emerged as a global leader in innovation funding, promoting high-tech sectors including AI, biotechnology, and clean energy through targeted policy support, infrastructure development, and generous financial incentives such as tax relief, grants, and subsidies. Together, these measures signal a strategic national commitment to building robust innovation ecosystems.

A major turning point came with the first revision of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) regulations in 17 years. These reforms aim to diversify funding streams by encouraging co-investment from local governments and private enterprises, and for the first time, permit qualified private-sector companies to lead research projects previously restricted to universities and research institutions (British Council, 2024). This shift represents a strategic evolution from traditional centralised state funding toward hybrid public-private models that leverage multiple financing sources and regional expertise.

Implementation of this strategy occurs through a multi-tiered system, where regional Science and Technology Committees translate national innovation priorities into local contexts, supporting enterprise-research collaboration and tailoring funding to regional strengths. This decentralised approach has enabled the creation of innovation ecosystems that integrate academia, industry, finance, and government. Flagship examples like TusPark demonstrate how this coordinated funding model fosters entrepreneurship by combining national strategic direction with local implementation flexibility and private sector engagement.

This funding architecture has proven particularly effective in high-tech sectors prioritised by national strategies, where the combination of central policy support, regional adaptation, and private co-investment creates sustainable innovation pipelines that extend beyond traditional government grants to include venture capital, state-backed investment funds, and industry partnerships. Recent directives further reinforce this system. For instance, China’s National Financing Guarantee Fund has increased its risksharing coverage for tech SMEs from 20% to 40%, and new pilot programmes are expanding access to long-term loans and capital market support for innovation-driven enterprises (Reuters, 2024).

Chinese Funder Opportunities

China’s funding mechanisms are closely aligned with national priorities such as boosting high-tech industries, enhancing global competitiveness, and addressing societal needs. The government not only promotes domestic innovation but also encourages international collaboration, including partnerships with foreign institutions.

In 2023, China’s R&D investment reached around 2.5% of GDP, with a strong emphasis on applied research. Policy support is driven by multiple ministries and designed to attract talent, support new enterprises, and guide innovation at both central and local levels. The government’s flexible and responsive approach, characterised by rapid policy deployment and cascading implementation across provinces, underscores its deep commitment to sustained innovation, with R&D funding described by experts as “effectively bottomless.”

International Research and Commercial Opportunities

China remains an attractive partner for cross-border research funding, with organisations from Australia, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, France, and the European Commission actively engaging. Programmes focus on sustainable development, health, AI, and green energy. Notably:

• The European Commission has awarded nearly 1,700 grants (USD 8,363 million) to China.

• The National Science Foundation USA and National Natural Science Foundation of China support engineering research for regional sustainability.

• The Merian Fund and Canada’s International Development Research Centre partner with China on environmental and health innovations, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Cooperation China (CC).

China also facilitates international business collaborations in a wide variety of sectors, including clean energy, smart cities, and life sciences.

Table 6 Key Funders or Specific Funding Programmes for Innovation of China

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

The National Development and Reform Commission; The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense; The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; The Ministry of Education; and other ministries and commissions

The Belt and Road Initiative and the Silk Road Fund

The China Innovation Fund for Technology-based Firms

The Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market)

Provincial and Municipal Innovation Funds

China Development Bank Innovation Loans

Local governments, including provincial and city governments, especially in economically advanced areas (e.g., Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou)

Source: The innovation and collaboration landscape in China – Opportunities, risks and future engagement, UKRI summary report 2025.

Technology Clusters and Innovation Hubs

China maintains three major science and technology clusters among global leaders -Shenzhen-Hong Kong being prominent, followed by Beijing, and Yangtze River Delta powering medtech and AI, providing concentrated innovation ecosystems for ageing-related technologies.

Shenzhen-Hong Kong- Guangzhou cluster

In World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index 2024 cluster ranking (WIPO, 2024), Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou is ranked No.2 worldwide for the fifth year running, filing 2,303 PCT patents per m population. As a major hub for scientific and technological innovation, this region emphasises the integration of medical technology and artificial intelligence, supported by a network of universities and hospitals. Institutions like Sun Yat-Sen University and Guangzhou Medical University, and Huawei play pivotal roles in advancing research and development in these fields. The cluster’s coordinated strategy focuses on fostering spin-outs from local academic and medical institutions, driving growth in med-tech and AI sectors (Shenzhen Daily, 2024).

Beijing cluster

Beijing is ranked No. 3 worldwide in the 2024 WIPO Global Innovation Index, with BOE Technology, a global leader in semiconductor display solutions, as the top applicant and Tsinghua University as the leading academic institution. To strengthen its position in life sciences and AI-driven

healthcare, the city has launched several major initiatives. In April 2025, Huairou Science City—Beijing’s flagship science and innovation hub—introduced a comprehensive plan to advance research in life sciences and major diseases through artificial intelligence and digital technologies. At the same time, Beijing is developing an international pharmaceutical innovation park to attract global scientists and encourage integration between biotechnology and information technology. Together, these efforts underscore the city’s commitment to med-tech and AI innovation, supported by its strong academic and research infrastructure (Xinhua, 2025).

Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai–Suzhou–Hangzhou) cluster

The Yangtze River Delta, comprising Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, now contributing a quarter of China’s GDP (WIPO, 2024), underscoring its pivotal role in the nation’s economy. Within this region, the Shanghai–Suzhou science and technology cluster ranked fifth globally in WIPO’s Global Innovation Index 2024 (CGTV, 2023).

This economic strength is bolstered by a coordinated regional strategy that emphasises the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industry. Notably, the establishment of the Yangtze River Delta AI Biomedicine Industry Alliance in 2025 exemplifies efforts to foster collaboration between local universities, hospitals, and enterprises, aiming to accelerate advancements in medical technology and artificial intelligence. Such initiatives highlight the region’s commitment to transforming academic and clinical research into commercially viable technologies, reinforcing its status as a hub for high-tech innovation (Tech Wire, 2025; ChinaDaily, 2024).

Biotechnology and Life Sciences Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health High-Tech Enterprise Ecosystem

China’s biotechnology sector has experienced significant growth, with innovative processes often initiated by academic institutions that explore new technologies and transfer knowledge to industry. The country leads in production of certain biopolymers and maintains strong capabilities in pharmaceutical research.

• Rapid scale-up of life-science output: China published 222,964 life-science papers in 2023 (CAGR 11% over ten years) and filed 30.59 % more biotech patents year-onyear with an 11.39% increase in granted patents (Gao, 2025).

• Commercial translation: In 2023 the National Medical Products Administration approved 36 domestically developed innovative drugs and 2,079 first-time Class III medical devices, signalling a maturing pipeline (Gao, 2025).

As of March 31, 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) reported that 346 generative AI services had been officially registered (Xinhua, 2025). This figure reflects the country’s ongoing commitment to regulating and promoting the development of generative AI technologies.

These developments underscore China’s rapid advancement in AI capabilities, particularly in the realm of generative AI. Such technologies hold significant potential for addressing challenges related to an ageing population, including predictive healthcare, personalised medicine, and intelligent monitoring systems (ChinaDaily, 2024).

China’s “Made in China 2025” initiative, while focused broadly on industrial upgrading, includes healthcare and biotechnology as priority sectors. This strategic framework supports development of high-tech enterprises focused on ageingrelated innovations.

A notable example is Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics, which is transitioning from industrial applications to consumerfocused solutions. The company plans to launch a $20,000 humanoid companion robot aimed at older households, with shipments expected in 2025 under strong government support for ageing solutions (Khollam, 2025).

Risk and Mitigation Strategies

Regulatory and Legal Complexity

Evolving and variable regulatory enforcement:

Health-related fields in China are subject to evolving policies. Licensing, approvals, and standards can shift with limited transparency. This creates uncertainty in project implementation and compliance.

Barrier for SMEs:

Smaller UK businesses face significant challenges navigating China’s vast, fragmented market, including different provincial regulations, licensing regimes, and procurement frameworks. Lack of local knowledge or representation compounds risk.

UK-side legal and regulatory constraints:

UK institutions are also bound by domestic frameworks that affect international collaboration, particularly in the health and ageing domains.The UK GDPR (and Data Protection Act 2018) imposes strict requirements on personal data handling and cross-border transfers, especially for sensitive health data. The Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) guidance issued by UKRI emphasises due diligence and risk assessment in collaborations involving sensitive technology, IP, and international partners. Additional oversight arises from the National Security and Investment Act (NSIA) and the proposed Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which require transparency in foreign collaborations and may trigger formal reviews of joint projects in critical sectors.

Strict localisation with vague definitions:

China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) and Data Security Law require local storage and impose restrictions on cross-border data flows, but enforcement remains unpredictable. Disputes over data access or breaches are difficult to resolve. This complicates joint research using biometric or behavioural data, especially in AI-driven diagnostics or remote health monitoring

Healthcare AI and biometric data:

Applications in smart ageing (e.g. monitoring, telemedicine, emotion-sensing) may be classified as sensitive, subjecting them to export control or cybersecurity review.

Ongoing IP risk:

Despite some progress in enforcement, risks around IP protection and technology transfer remain important considerations. UK Government guidance continues to flag China as a high-risk jurisdiction for proprietary innovation, especially in biotech and assistive tech.

Joint R&D ambiguity:

Co-developed technologies may encounter disputes over IP ownership, publication rights, and licensing terms, particularly when developed in Chinese labs or with state-linked partners.

Data Governance and Security

Intellectual Property and Tech Sovereignty

©Arif Riyanto

©Getty Images

Limited visibility in market processes:

Decision-making processes related to hospital procurement, medical technology approvals, and social services trials are often lacking in transparency.

Supply chain ethics:

Dual-use technologies or AI systems developed for ageing care (e.g. facial recognition in smart homes) risk being diverted to surveillance, raising ethical and reputational risks for UK partners.

Challenges in finding reliable collaborators:

Limited visibility on funding and strategy:

Decision-making within Chinese ageing institutions is can be difficult to observe externally, complicating planning, benchmarking, and due diligence.

Ethical divergence:

Issues such as informed consent in older people monitoring, or labour standards in supply chains may raise compliance questions under UK public funding or procurement rules.

Changes in US policy toward China often trigger ripple effects in UK positioning, research alignment, and funding strategies. Strategic caution by UK institutions can limit collaboration scope.

China’s long-termism vs UK fragmentation:

China’s centralised 5–30-year planning contrasts with the shortterm, project-based funding cycles common in the UK, limiting strategic continuity in joint initiatives.

Export controls and sanctions:

Technologies like AI-enabled wearables, emotion recognition, or biometric sensors may fall under export controls or attract foreign investment review mechanisms.

UK actors sometimes encounter difficulties in identifying credible, mission-aligned institutions beyond elite universities. Local intermediaries may obscure full ownership details or institutional affliations.

Cultural and political navigation:

Communication styles, governance structures, and language differences can occasionally create barriers to effective collaboration.

Market Access and Infrastructure Limitations

US–China relations drive indirect risk:

Geopolitical and Strategic Tensions

Partner Identification and Cultural Barriers

Transparency, Ethics and Trust

©Matthew Tenbruggencate

©Getty Images

Mitigation Strategies

Collaborating with China in the healthy ageing sector offers major opportunities but requires careful navigation of regulatory and operational risks. One key challenge is data governance: under China’s data laws, most data, even if collected outside China, may fall under Chinese jurisdiction once shared with Chinese entities. To mitigate this, UK partners should establish clear agreements on data ownership and use, consider data-sharing pilot zones, and set formal protocols for export approvals. Using anonymised or synthetic data where possible can also reduce exposure.

Intellectual property (IP) protection is another core concern. Despite improved enforcement through China’s specialised IP courts, risks remain. UK institutions should register patents in China (and globally via the Patent Cooperation Treaty), conduct due diligence on partners’ IP histories, and seek legal advice from local experts. Collaboration agreements should define ownership, licensing, and publication rights from the outset, especially in tech-driven projects. In addition, dispute resolution clauses should be carefully structured to specify a neutral legal jurisdiction for arbitration, such as Hong Kong or Singapore, rather than defaulting to mainland Chinese courts. This provides a more balanced and internationally recognised legal framework in the event of conflict.

Due to China’s complex and non-transparent regulatory environment, UK organisations need to start with small-scale pilots or non-sensitive research. Support from the British Embassy, trade councils, or innovation agencies who can help in identifying partners and navigating local policies. Institutions with long-standing collaborative ties to China are particularly well-positioned to both deepen their own engagement and serve as trusted bridges for new entrants. Drawing on their experience can significantly lower barriers, especially in building early-stage trust and anticipating operational challenges.

Cultural and ethical considerations also matter: crosscultural training, bilingual liaison staff, and excluding highrisk technologies (e.g. surveillance tools) from projects can strengthen trust and reputational resilience.

With clear legal safeguards, ethical oversight, and trusted partnerships, engagement with China in healthy ageing can yield impactful growth and results, while successfully managing the strategic and operational risks involved.

©Li Lin

Working in China is complex, demanding sophisticated partnership working. NICA established trusted relationships with a wide range of public and private sector partnerships over five years, in order to understand, build, and effectively work with a successful innovation ecosystem for healthy ageing and longevity. Such networks take time and resource to build, and must be effectively maintained with ongoing activities and mutual interests.

UK-China Synergy and Alignment

NICA’s Experience in Healthy Ageing and Longevity

NICA: A Pioneering Partnership Model

The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) has established itself as a pioneering organisation in UK-China collaboration on health, prevention, and innovation for healthy ageing and longevity. Working extensively with partners in UK, China and internationally, NICA is leading work on innovation, helping businesses and a wide range of organisations to understand and action responses to deliver products, services, and technologies across every aspect of daily life. This programme is among the most advanced UK–China collaborations in healthy longevity, creating mutual benefits through shared research, co-innovation, and the scaling of new solutions.

NICA’s UK-China Flagship Programme

Central to the programme was the collaboration between the UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) and Beijing Hospital led Consortium, focusing on developing products and services through an ecosystem-to-ecosystem approach. The programme encompassed five strategic pillars:

• Business Accelerator: NICA provided businesses with expertise through a 9-week programme with a special focus on understanding what’s needed to access China’s markets for healthy ageing. The accelerator supported 40 UK businesses in 4 cohorts in understanding and accessing China’s vast healthy ageing markets.

• Citizen Engagement: NICA built a citizen community of

over 2,000 people in China to understand the wants, needs, and aspirations regarding healthy ageing, using NICA’s culturally-appropriate Ageing Intelligence™ approach.

• Product Testing: NICA helped businesses to test their products and services through the citizen engagement community in China and globally for culturally appropriate improvements.

• Insights and Trends Analysis: NICA Leveraged the insights gathered, and market trends research and analysis, producing Horizoning® Reports – Exploring the Future of Mobility and Gait in China, Adaptations to Urban Environments in China, Horizoning® Snapshot – How innovation is impacting the global wearables market, and exhibitions to disseminate knowledge about Chinese silver market to the UK audiences.

• Innovation Ecosystem Development: NICA has played a leading role in building long-term, cross-sector networks between the UK and China, bringing together partners from industry, academia, government, and local communities to accelerate innovation in healthy longevity.

Working in China is complex and requires carefully structured partnerships with trusted local stakeholders. NICA established trusted relationships with a wide range of public and private sector partnerships over the five years program. These are essential in order to understand, build, and effectively work with a successful innovation ecosystem for healthy ageing and longevity. Such networks take time and resource to build, and must be effectively maintained and nurtured with ongoing activities and mutual interests.

Key Areas of UK-China Opportunity NICA’s Partnership Network

Market Access and Commercial

Translation

The NICA partnership has identified substantial commercial opportunities in China’s healthy ageing market. The partnership provides UK businesses with expert guidance on market entry strategies, regulatory navigation, and cultural adaptation requirements.

Cross-Cultural Research Methodologies

NICA’s development of culturally-appropriate research methods for engaging older people in Beijing demonstrates the importance of adapting research approaches to local contexts while maintaining global relevance and comparability.

Technology and Service Innovation

The collaboration focuses on harnessing new technologies, products, and service models for global impact. This includes digital health solutions, assistive technologies, and innovative care delivery models that can be adapted across different cultural and regulatory contexts. NICA’s collaboration is also looking at novel financial models and provision, urban infrastructure to support prevention of long-term conditions and promote healthier, happier, longer lives. Through its City of Longevity AI-driven framework, NICA is working with key cities and communities in China to embed innovative approaches.

Policy Innovation Exchange

The partnership facilitates policy learning between UK and Chinese approaches to healthy ageing, creating opportunities for comparative analysis and best practice sharing across different governance systems.

NICA has built a trusted “China Healthy Ageing Ecosystem” — a network of research institutes, hospitals, government agencies, and private-sector innovators that gives UK businesses a credible, de-risked route into one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. This platform reduces duplication, avoids wasted effort, and provides the long-term relationships needed to succeed in China’s dynamic and fast-moving ageing landscape.

But without sustained funding, the UK risks losing ground. Global competitors are moving quickly, while Chinese stakeholders are actively seeking international partners and scalable solutions. If the UK does not match this urgency, others will step in to fill the gap.

NICA offers a ready-made platform to keep the UK competitive — but it requires ongoing investment to maintain momentum, deepen partnerships, and ensure UK innovators remain at the forefront of healthy ageing collaboration with China

©NICA

Beijing Mayor’s Office

Research Collaboration Opportunities

Building on NICA’s pioneering work, the UK’s ageing research expertise combined with China’s scale and innovation capacity creates significant partnership potential. Key areas include:

• Longitudinal Health Studies: China’s Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey provides unique datasets that complement UK research initiatives, offering opportunities for comparative analysis and methodology sharing.

• Dementia and Prevention Research: With the UK’s leadership in dementia and prevention research and China’s massive, affected population, collaborative research could accelerate breakthrough treatments and care models.

• Digital Health Innovation: UK expertise in healthcare technology regulation and implementation can combine with Chinese innovation capacity and market scale.

Policy Innovation Exchange

Both countries face similar ageing challenges but with different social, economic, and political contexts. Policy innovation exchange could include:

• Long-term Care Models: China’s insurance pilots and the UK’s social care reforms offer complementary learning opportunities.

• Retirement and Workforce Policies: Different approaches to retirement age, pension systems, and age-friendly employment practices provide comparative policy analysis opportunities.

• Community Care Integration: Both countries are developing community-based care models that could benefit from shared learning and adaptation.

Technology Transfer and Commercial Partnerships

The convergence of UK regulatory expertise and Chinese manufacturing capability creates opportunities for:

• Medical Device Development: Ageing-specific medical devices and assistive technologies, such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

• Pharmaceutical Partnerships: Joint development of ageing-related therapeutics

• Digital Health Platforms: Cross-border health technology solutions

Global Leadership Opportunities

UK-China collaboration could position both countries as leaders in addressing global ageing challenges, particularly in:

• Standards Development: Creating international standards for ageing-related technologies and services

• Research Methodology: Developing global research frameworks for healthy ageing studies

• Innovation Models: Creating replicable models for ageingfocused innovation ecosystems

©Derek Lee

Recommendations for Strategic Engagement

Research and Development Partnerships

Building on NICA’s foundation, establish expanded formal research partnerships between UK and Chinese universities focusing on ageing research, with particular emphasis on areas where both countries have complementary strengths. NICA’s citizen engagement approach provides a model for culturally-sensitive research methodologies that can be scaled across different research domains.

• Joint Research Programmes: Expand collaborative research projects that build on NICA’s ecosystem approach, addressing shared ageing priorities through coordinated UK-China research initiatives.

• Funding Mechanisms: Create joint funding mechanisms for collaborative research projects, leveraging NICA’s demonstrated success in creating sustainable international partnerships.

• Knowledge Transfer Platforms: Develop platforms for sharing research findings and best practices, building on NICA’s experience in facilitating cross-cultural knowledge exchange.

Policy Dialogue Forums

Develop structured policy dialogue mechanisms between UK and Chinese ageing policy experts, including regular exchanges on policy innovation, implementation experiences, and outcome evaluation.

Innovation Ecosystem Connections

Building on NICA’s successful model, there are opportunities to create expanded formal connections between UK and Chinese innovation ecosystems focused on ageing technologies. This includes:

• Accelerator Programme Scaling: Expanding NICA’s accelerator model to include more UK businesses and potentially establishing reciprocal programmes for Chinese companies entering UK markets.

• Technology Transfer Mechanisms: Developing structured frameworks for mutual technology exchange, building on NICA’s ecosystem approach that brings together business, research, and government stakeholders.

• Joint Innovation Hubs: Creating physical and virtual innovation spaces that facilitate ongoing collaboration between UK and Chinese ageing technology developers.

• Investment Partnerships: Leveraging the commercial opportunities identified through NICA’s work to attract international investment in ageing innovation.

Global Standards Leadership

Position UK-China collaboration as a leader in developing global standards and best practices for healthy ageing, leveraging both countries’ expertise, China’s implementation scale, and NICA’s proven model for international collaboration. The NICA partnership demonstrates how systematic engagement across business, research, and government can create sustainable frameworks for addressing global ageing challenges.

Market Access and Commercialisation

Develop frameworks for UK companies to access Chinese ageing markets while supporting pathways for Chinese innovation integration in UK healthcare systems, creating mutual benefit and shared learning opportunities.

©Raychan

China Healthy Ageing Ecosystem

Layered Structure

Is China Longevity Ready?

China: Global Epicentre of Longevity Innovation

China’s healthy longevity ecosystem represents the world’s greatest demographic transformation, simultaneously humanity’s greatest challenge and its most significant innovation opportunity. With over 310 million people aged 60 or older (22% of its population), China operates as a living laboratory for longevity innovation at a magnitude no other country can match.

This scale, combined with rapid technological advancement and centralised policy coordination, creates unique conditions for testing, refining, and scaling imaginative solutions that will define global longevity standards.

China’s Unique Global Advantage

China’s position differs fundamentally from other major nations facing ageing populations. China uniquely combines massive scale, economic growth potential, technological sophistication, and policy agility. The UK, though possessing worldclass science and technology and strong lifecourse innovation capabilities, represents only 67 million people, limiting scale for solution testing.

Healthy ageing represents transformative markets to capture and lead, not a burden to manage. China’s ageing-related economy will grow from RMB 7 trillion to RMB 106 trillion by 2050, creating unprecedented opportunities across healthcare, AI-driven care solutions, innovative social

support systems, and comprehensive prevention strategies. China’s widespread digital infrastructure and world-leading AI innovation create optimal conditions for rapid deployment of smart ageing solutions at scale.

The Strategic Partnership Opportunity

The UK possesses distinctive strengths that create powerful synergies with China’s longevity ecosystem. NICA’s established four-year engagement provides the UK with a critical, derisked platform for high-impact collaboration that competitors cannot easily replicate - representing years of relationship building and collaborative framework establishment that would require time for others to recreate.

Joint UK-China initiatives in R&D from UK Universities, opportunities for technology exchange, global standards development, and policy exchange on dementia care, lifelong education, and financial innovation create competitive advantages for both China and UK, while advancing global longevity solutions. NICA’s data and AI-driven City of Longevity framework and global initiative exemplifies this approach, emphasising leveraging data, coordinating fragmented and often siloed activity, focus on proactive prevention, linking planetary and human health, and exchanging proven expertise with a network of global cities for imaginative policy

reform and action.

This strategic window is closing rapidly. International competitors are embedding influence and co-creating solutions at unprecedented pace. The current moment represents a critical inflection point for UK strategic positioning.

The Path Forward

China’s longevity readiness will define global ageing outcomes. China’s demographic imperative, combined with technological capability and market potential, makes it the critical determinant of global longevity economy success. Strategic international partnerships, particularly UK-China collaboration, represent the pathway to ensuring both nations emerge as leaders in the world’s most significant demographic and economic transformation.

Success requires comprehensive strategic commitment recognising longevity innovation as a defining competitive advantage of the 21st century. This demands sustained investment in dialogue, long term strategies, mutual learning, and shared solutions that build on complementary strengths. By committing now, the UK and China can shape humanity’s demographic future while capturing transformational economic opportunities. Being longevity ready is the defining challenge of our age.

©Joyce Panda

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