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How One China State-Owned Group Became A Behemoth, Powered By COVID-19

But Will Size, Speed, Policy Support Matter More Than Innovation?

 
• By Brian Yang

Already producing a broader range of biologics than any biotech firm in the world, from antibodies via plasma products to testing assays to vaccines, the state-owned China National Biotec Group is becoming even bigger with policy support and one surprising helper: the coronavirus pandemic. But might it face challenges from innovators and foreign firms in a changing environment?

n95 face mask protection with china flag safety for novel Coronavirus 2019-nCov. wuhan corona virus disease coronavirus quarantine concept. Perfect for banner, background. Vector illustration
CHINA NATIONAL BIOTEC GROUP RISES AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC • Source: Shutterstock

Sometime in early 2020, as reports of pneumonia cases of unknown origin started surfacing and circulating in Wuhan, a key central hub in China connecting the vast country’s capital Beijing in the north to Guangzhou in the south, a team of researchers took an overnight flight to the city of 11 million people.

That team was dispatched to the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a state-owned...

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