As the only invited Chinese healthcare institution at this year’s WTO Public Forum, Jiahui Health shared how medical innovation, clinical capability and cross-border care are helping connect China with patients around the world.
On September 16 in Geneva, Dr. John K. Hsiang, Chairman of the Jiahui Health Executive Committee, took part in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum 2026, speaking at the “Health Without Borders” session on “Medical Tourism — Opportunities and Challenges in Services Trade.”
The WTO Public Forum is the organization’s large annual outreach event, bringing together leaders from government, business, academia, civil society and international organizations to discuss the future of global trade. Under the 2026 theme “Powering the Future”, this year’s Forum featured more than 4,000 participants, 540 speakers and 113 sessions.
Dr. Hsiang was the only invited representative from a Chinese healthcare institution at this year’s Forum. His presentation explored how China’s expanding medical capabilities and greater international connectivity are beginning to reshape cross-border patient flows.
Inbound Medical Tourism Is Gaining Momentum
Citing industry data, Dr. Hsiang noted that leading Chinese hospitals serving international patients recorded 1.28 million international patient visits in 2025, up 73.6% from three years earlier. Of these, 413,000 visits were made by patients who travelled to China specifically for medical treatment.
Jiahui is seeing this shift directly. In the first half of 2026, overseas patient inquiries at Jiahui International Hospital nearly doubled year on year. In 2025, the hospital recorded more than 100,000 international outpatient visits.
What’s Powering the Growth?
This growth is being driven by more convenient visa policies, increasingly mature international healthcare services and the rapid expansion of China’s biomedical innovation ecosystem.
China now accounts for 33.7% of new drugs under development globally. Original innovative drug pipelines account for approximately 24% of the global total, compared with just 4% a decade ago. In 2025, 76 innovative drugs were approved in China, a record high.
For some international patients, access to these advances is becoming a reason to travel to China.
When Medical Innovation Becomes a Reason to Travel
At the WTO, Dr. Hsiang shared two patient journeys from Jiahui.
A 59-year-old patient from New Zealand with advanced gastric cancer travelled more than 9,000 kilometres to Shanghai after treatment options at home became increasingly limited. Shortly before his arrival, China approved the world’s first CAR-T cell therapy for a solid tumor. After multidisciplinary evaluation at Jiahui International Cancer Center, he became the first international patient to receive the therapy.
In another case, a U.S. patient with non-small cell lung cancer came to Jiahui to receive ivonescimab, an innovative bispecific antibody currently available only in China, following discussions with his physician at MD Anderson Cancer Center. During treatment, the patient developed a serious immune-related adverse event and required intensive care. Jiahui convened multidisciplinary consultations involving internal and external specialists, including Professor Zhou Caicun of Shanghai East Hospital of Tongji University, a principal investigator of ivonescimab. Jiahui also maintained communication with the patient’s medical team in the United States to support continuity of care.
Together, the cases show that international medical care requires not only access to innovative therapies, but also clinical depth, multidisciplinary coordination and continuity across borders.
Beyond Treatment: Building a Cross-Border Care Pathway
Jiahui has been developing this cross-border infrastructure alongside its clinical capabilities. International patients may require medical record review, remote specialist consultation, treatment planning, multilingual coordination, insurance direct billing and follow-up after returning home.
The objective is not simply to bring patients to Shanghai, but to create a continuous care pathway that crosses borders.
As Shanghai’s first authorized comprehensive international hospital, Jiahui has served as a designated medical service provider for the China International Import Expo for nine consecutive years and was among Shanghai’s first pilot institutions for international medical tourism.
These capabilities are positioning Jiahui not only as a place of treatment, but as a platform connecting patients, physicians, medical innovation and healthcare resources across borders.
From Patient Journeys to the “Shanghai Model”
Jiahui’s experience also reflects a broader transformation in Shanghai.
The city has expanded international medical tourism pilots across private and public hospitals and introduced China’s first local standard specifically for international medical services, the Specification for International Medical Services (DB31/T 1487-2024), which came into effect in 2025.
Shanghai is home to 9 National Medical Centers and 86 National Key Clinical Specialties, providing a strong foundation for innovative treatment, multidisciplinary care and international collaboration.
“Shanghai’s ability to establish standards for international medical care ultimately rests on the strength of its clinical capabilities,” Dr. Hsiang said. “The greater significance of the Shanghai model is to use standards to drive broader improvement across the sector, while continuing to strengthen clinical excellence as the foundation.”
Bringing Cross-Border Healthcare into the Global Services Conversation
At the WTO, Dr. Hsiang called for greater international cooperation on medical travel and visa facilitation, access to information on medical innovation, and regulatory dialogue around cross-border health data and telemedicine. “Medical tourism sits at the intersection of healthcare, trade and economic development,” Dr. Hsiang said.
Over the next three to five years, Dr. Hsiang expects China’s inbound medical tourism sector to enter a period of accelerated growth. For Jiahui, the ambition goes beyond bringing more international patients to Shanghai: it is about helping connect China’s medical innovations with patients around the world and contributing practical experience to a more connected model of cross-border healthcare.
