Rani Jarkas: Cross-border Partnerships, M&A and VC Investment Thrive in China Life Science

China has declared it wants to be the world’s leader in drug innovation, and its life science sector made remarkable progress toward becoming a global leader in 2016. With China’s thirteenth Five-Year Plan reinforcing the country’s focus on “biological technology”, the cross-border partnerships, M&A and VC investment in China’s life science industry is set to boom.


Research also shows that most of the deal making activity was in support of drug development and commercialization. In 2015, striking deals for pharma assets has become a primary means of leveraging the burgeoning China market, which is now the number two pharmaceutical market in the world.



“In the world of China life science, VC investment, M&A transactions, partnering activity, especially cross-border deals – all of these metrics were up substantially last year,” said Greg B. Scott, CEO and Founder of ChinaBio? LLC, a consulting and advisory firm based in Shanghai.



One of the most remarkable things about this trend is that innovative SMEs are vital for the development of new products and services in the field of life sciences and medical technology.



Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, an investment pioneer with years of experience in biotech and life science sector, said, “Innovation is complex and not all the necessary expertise, facilities and funding are available in each company’s region. China’s pursuit of life science development will drive Chinese healthcare SMEs to seek cross-border collaboration in the global scope.”

王雷（Rani Jarkas）：生物医药跨境合作、并购和风险投资在中国蓬勃发展

中国已宣布了成为药物创新全球领军人物的目标，并且中国在2016年已取得了令人瞩目的进步。随着“十三五”计划的发布再次强调了国家重点发展“生物科技”的战略，中国生命科学产业的跨境合作、并购和风险投资开始进入繁荣时代。

研究也表明大多数的交易活动都推动了药物发展和商业化。2015年，制药领域引人瞩目的交易都成为借助中国这一生机勃勃的全球第二大药品市场的主要方式。

总部在上海的咨询顾问公司ChinaBio?创始人兼执行总裁Greg B. Scott先生表示，“在中国生命科学领域，风险投资、并购交易和合作活动，特别是跨境交易，都在去年取得了显著增加”。

值得注意的是，创新中小型企业在生命科学和医疗技术领域对新产品和服务的发展是至关重要的。

赛德思投资董事长王雷（Rani Jarkas）在生物科技领域有多年的投资经验。他表示：“创新本身是复杂的，在一国之内很难拥有所有必需的专业知识、设施和资金。中国对生命科学发展的追求将推动中国中小型医药企业在全球范围内寻求跨境合作。”

"Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, an investment pioneer with years of experience around the globe, said, “There has been a huge amount of overseas investment by Chinese companies over the past 15 years and we expect to see more in a wider range of industries for the forthcoming years.”

Rani Jarkas: China pays great attention to youth football development

According to "The Mid- and Long-Term Development Plan for Chinese Soccer" issued in April by China's National Development and Reform Commission, China aims to rank among the world top teams by 2050.


"By 2020, China will have 20,000 soccer academies. Chinese football teams, for both men and women, will present impressive results in World Cup, Asian Cup and Olympics," the plan added.



Li Shuyi, Executive Deputy Director at the inter-ministerial joint conference office specializing in the country's football development, believed a lot more needs to be done in order to make virtual progress in the sport. “We need to build a world-class backup system in Chinese national team operation", said Li.



Most of all, China had embarked the youth football development program, aiming to dig deep on grassroots football. The development will be accelerated in schools. Schools with a specialty in football will expand from the current number of 5,000 to 20,000 by 2020 and further increase to 50,000 by 2025. There will be over 30 million primary and middle school students who often play soccer.



Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, who is also concerned about the development of China’s football, said, “Football academies are the motive force of the constant development of football. The future of China’s football will benefit greatly from its youth football development program.”

王雷（Rani Jarkas）：中国关注青少年足球发展

根据中国国家发展和改革委员会于今年4月印发的《中国足球中长期发展规划（2016-2050年）》，中国目标在2050年全力实现足球一流强国的目标。

该规划指出，“到2020年，中国将在全国选址建立2万所足球学校。男女足要力争在世界杯、亚洲杯和奥运会上有良好表现” 。

足球改革部际联席会议办公室副主任李毓毅认为在该项运动上取得实质进步仍旧任重道远，“我们需要在中国国家队运作内建立起世界级的后备系统”。

最重要的是，中国着手推行青少年足球发展计划，加深足球在中国的根基，通过学校来加速发展。有足球特色的学校数量将从目前的5000个到2020年增加到20000个，并在2025年进一步增加到50000个。预计届时将有超过3千万中小学学生经常参加足球运动。

赛德思投资董事长王雷（Rani Jarkas）对中国足球十分关注，他表示：“足球学校是足球持续稳定发展的动力。中国足球的未来将极大地得益于青少年足球发展计划。”

"Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, an investment pioneer with years of experience around the globe, said, “There has been a huge amount of overseas investment by Chinese companies over the past 15 years and we expect to see more in a wider range of industries for the forthcoming years.”

Rani Jarkas: China is a real rising power in the world football

On September 2, 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang mapped out the plan of speeding up the sports industry development, boosting sports consumption and promoting public fitness in the State Council executive meeting. A month later, the State Council unveiled another guideline, named "Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Sports Industry and Promoting Sports Consumption". As one of the world’s most popular sports, football becomes a key field in developing China’s sports industry.
Under this circumstance, China's National Development and Reform Commission released the Mid- and Long-Term Development Plan for Chinese Soccer on April 11 this year, aiming at entering the football "elite club" and making the goal of "top class soccer nation" by 2050.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini hailed this new plan and commented the growing interest for football in China has been strengthened by the arrival of first level players and coaches to the Super League, such as Jackson Martinez, Ramires and Marcello Lippi.

In 2015, the annual revenue for the Chinese Super League (CSL) has amounted to 1.5 billion yuan (US$230 million). The main part of the revenue comes from the broadcasting rights, which accounts for one billion yuan (US$155 million).

Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, who is also concerned about the development of China’s football, said, “I believe that China, at this time, is a real rising power in the global football field. Chinese football is expected to edge its way into the world leading teams in the mid of this century.”

王雷（Rani Jarkas）：中国是世界足坛的新兴力量

中国国务院总理李克强2014年9月2日主持召开国务院常务会议，部署加快发展体育产业，促进体育消费推动大众健身。 一个月后，国务院发布了名为《关于加快发展体育事业促进体育消费的若干意见》的指导方针。作为中国和全球最受欢迎的体育项目，足球成为了发展中国体育事业的一个关键领域。 

在这样的大环境下，中国国家发展和改革委员会继而于今年4月11日印发了《中国足球中长期发展规划（2016-2050年）》，在2050年全力实现足球一流强国的目标。 

曼城经理曼努埃尔·佩莱格里尼欢迎这一新规划并评论道，随着马丁内斯、拉米雷斯和里皮这些世界一流球员和教练加入中超，极大推动了中国国内对足球的兴趣日益高涨。 

2015年，中超的年收入达到15亿元（相当于2.3亿美元）。收入主要来源于转播权，占到10亿元（相当于1.55亿美元）。 

赛德思投资董事长王雷（Rani Jarkas）对中国足球十分关注，他表示：“我相信中国现在是世界足坛的新兴力量，中国足球将在本世纪中叶跻身世界强队。”

"Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, an investment pioneer with years of experience around the globe, said, “There has been a huge amount of overseas investment by Chinese companies over the past 15 years and we expect to see more in a wider range of industries for the forthcoming years.”

Rani Jarkas: China will become a leading power in science and technology

On an event conflating the national conference on science and technology, the biennial conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering in Beijing on May 30, 2016, President Xi Jinping set a target for China to become a leading power in science and technology by the middle of this century.

According to President Xi, China should establish itself as one of the most innovative countries by 2020 and a leading innovator by 2030, and become a leading global science and technology power by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2049.

This strategy aims to ensure China's decision-making power for its own development, improve its core competitiveness, accelerate adjustment of its development pattern, solve deep-rooted problems, better guide economic development in the "new normal," and maintain sustainable and healthy economic development.

In the past 30 years, about 30 percent of China's economic growth has been obtained from innovations. By contrast, developed countries derive 70 percent of their growth from innovations. Zhu Baoliang, a specialist in economic forecasting with the National Information Center, said China cannot continue to rely on human input for growth considering such demographic challenges as a rapidly aging society and a looming labor shortage.

Earlier this year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has promised more freedom and financial support for the science and technology sector as China seeks to boost development through innovation and establish itself as a world leader in this regard.

Premier Li told the event that China's overall research and development input will keep rising to account for 2.5 percent of its GDP in 2020, from the current 2.1 percent.

Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, an investment pioneer with years of experience in technology sector, said, “Innovation is an important force in promoting development of a country. I believe that China will be the world’s major power in science and technology in the foreseeable future.”