Liaoning scraps its rusty past to shine as hub of innovation

Pharma flourishes

In Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, Sunshine Pharmaceutical Co, a leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, has a slew of products already on the market and undergoing research.

"Currently, we have 28 products in the pipeline, with nearly half of them first-class new drugs," said Yuan Jie, assistant general manager of the company.

The company places great emphasis on independent research and development, focusing on the development of new drugs to treat kidney disease, tumors, autoimmune diseases, and for metabolic therapies, Yuan said.

Neusoft Medical Systems Co, a leading manufacturer of medical equipment and services, is also taking great strides in innovation.

Thanks to its latest high-end CT equipment, a patient can complete CT scans, image analysis, and surgery in 15 minutes in some cases.

"This device enables a one-stop diagnosis and treatment process," said Han Donglong, senior vice-president of the company. "Previously, patients needed to be moved between medical devices, whereas now the medical devices revolve around the patient, seizing the optimal treatment time," he explained.

Through collaboration with top-tier hospitals and the use of AI technology, the company has developed multiple intelligent diagnostic tools to enhance the quality and efficiency of medical-imaging diagnosis.

The rapid development of Sunshine Pharmaceutical and Neusoft Medical is a microcosm of Shenyang's efforts to build a biopharmaceutical industry cluster and accelerate the cultivation of emerging industries.

In 2023, the biopharmaceutical and medical equipment industry in Shenyang achieved an industrial output value of 28.16 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4 percent, data showed. The city also nurtured three national-level enterprise technology centers.

Liaoning is also forming a strategic emerging industry system with multiple areas including new materials and new energy.

Province-wide growth

Benefits from Dalian and Shenyang, described as the "twin engines" driving the development of strategic emerging industries in Liaoning, are radiating across the province.

Other cities in Liaoning have accelerated the push toward new quality productive forces by nurturing technology-based enterprises.

In Panjin, Liaoning Zhonglan Electronic Technology Co, an optical electronics manufacturer that produces focus motors and optical lenses, is building a small industrial park centered around its research and production base.

The company hopes to attract upstream suppliers to the park for collaborative development, and the formation of an optical electronics industry cluster.

In Dandong, Dongfang Measurement and Control Technology Co has developed major technological breakthroughs for the mining and construction industries.

The company has achieved intelligent mining with unmanned driving, smart dispatching, intelligent monitoring, and safe operational procedures that can improve efficiency by up to 15 percent.

Optimized intelligent ore dressing, done without the need for workers, has reduced the cost of this process by 5 to 10 percent. It has also achieved significant energy savings and emission reductions compared with traditional ore dressing, which involves the mechanical separation of ore from other minerals.

"The key to high-quality development in Liaoning lies in innovation-driven growth," said Yang Hui, deputy director of the Liaoning Department of Science and Technology, adding that the province's innovation ecosystem is continuously improving and increasing in momentum.

"The greatest variable of technological innovation is being transformed into the greatest factor driving high-quality development in Liaoning," he added.