Refurbished Medical Devices Take Center Stage at Shanghai Summit

China's medical devices and healthcare services attract more international patients and procurement agents to Shanghai due to unique product portfolios, cutting-edge technologies, strict quality control, and competitive pricing. Since pioneering the export of refurbished medical devices, the city has promoted international medical cooperation and high-quality global medical tourism.

A Sino-foreign cooperation memorandum was signed at the International Green Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Summit to accelerate the export of China's refurbished medical devices to countries in urgent need of affordable and reliable medical equipment, especially Belt and Road Initiative nations.

On May 9, government officials, top doctors, industry leaders, and international delegates attended the summit. The event covered China's high-tech medical industry; Shanghai's strengths in high-end medical training, medical education, professional exhibitions, and integrated healthcare services; and the city's preferential and innovative policies to boost Chinese medical device remanufacturing and export.

Cai Jian, director of global public marketing at Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co Ltd, noted that global population aging, the rising global burden of chronic diseases, and the rapid emergence of transformative new technologies like artificial intelligence are driving profound changes and sustained growth in the global medical device market.

"While Chinese medical device manufacturers want to expand globally, they face fierce international competition because most of their exports are low-to-mid-end," Cai said. "To enhance global competitiveness, we require innovation, policy support, and industrial upgrading. We must launch new products, explore new business models, and use cutting-edge technologies to capitalize on emerging challenges and opportunities with artificial intelligence."

Shanghai is exploring the standardized refurbishment and global export of medical equipment to countries with limited medical procurement budgets as China's medical device manufacturing sector grows. In these markets, high-quality, affordable refurbished medical devices from China are a practical and cost-effective alternative to new equipment.

According to Xu Shangmiao, director of the Shanghai Institute of Medical Devices, Chinese companies are now providing comprehensive, integrated medical device refurbishment solutions to developing nations.

"Belt and Road partner countries have a strong demand for cost-effective medical equipment, yet much of the secondhand equipment available on the global market suffers from untraceable origins, insufficient quality assurance and a complete lack of standardized after-sales support systems," Xu said.

"China's large, high-quality supply of retired and surplus medical equipment makes professional remanufacturing stable. China has launched pilot programs for medical device refurbishment and export since 2024 with strong policy guidance and official support, improving its regulatory framework over time."

"We now have a complete product line to meet the diverse needs of countries importing refurbished medical devices. Accredited professional institutions rigorously test all products, ensuring they meet international standards.

"We provide long-term support, including equipment repair, routine maintenance, hospital construction consulting, medical and nursing staff training, stable consumables supply, and flexible cross-border trade settlement solutions, using our extensive global service network," Xu stressed.

The Lin-gang Special Area Administration of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone announced a full set of targeted preferential policies to support high-quality sector development. The special area has created an industrial cluster integrating bonded testing, maintenance, and remanufacturing, attracting a wide range of related companies to form unique full-chain industrial advantages.

Wang Yu, vice director of the Shanghai Hospital Development Center, said the city wants to become a top Asian medical hub with world-class medical innovation, clinical excellence, and international cooperation.

"Shanghai's international medical services are growing rapidly. Last year, the city treated 867,000 international outpatients and emergencies, up 25.5 percent from 2024. Shanghai delivered 174,500 international outpatient and emergency services in the first quarter, up 3.87 percent year over year, and received 6,790 overseas inpatients, indicating a steady increase in international patients seeking specialized medical treatment," Wang said.

The new Global Innovative Medical Device Exhibition and Training Center at the Shanghai Hospital Development Center will showcase products, train professionals, and facilitate commercial sales through immersive device displays, hands-on operational training, and efficient technological transfer. She said they want to make it a world-class training base, a showcase for Chinese medical technology, and a hub for international cooperation, training 150,000 professionals in a decade.

"Our goal is to make the center a top place for showcasing and experiencing China's advanced medical devices, a standard training center to share Shanghai's high medical standards with the world, a complete center for exporting medical standards, a regular spot for international medical cooperation, and a dedicated place for training doctors from different countries to encourage collaboration between hospitals, businesses, and government agencies around the globe," Wang said.

Portasius Nggedi, chairman of the Indonesian Village Cooperatives Union, stated that he traveled to Shanghai to inspect and compare relevant medical equipment and found that the domestic medical technology is nearly on par with European standards while boasting strong price competitiveness and exceptional cost-effectiveness.

Davaabaatar. B, director of the Mongolian Legal Environment Development Association, noted that his team attended the summit and visited Shanghai to gain an in-depth understanding of China's high-tech medical industry, with the goal of signing international cooperation agreements to strengthen bilateral health sector ties between China and Mongolia.