AMMAN — Leading Chinese companies have expressed interest in expanding partnerships with Jordan in the pharmaceutical and food manufacturing sectors, including through joint ventures and research and development (R&D).

 

The remarks came during a meeting between His Majesty King Abdullah and chief executive officers of major Chinese companies in Shanghai on Tuesday, where they discussed opportunities to enhance economic cooperation and exchange expertise.

 

His Majesty reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment to further strengthening ties with China and expanding economic and investment partnerships across various sectors.

 

Wang Xingli, chairman of Fosun Pharma and CEO of its Innovative Medicines division, said that the company has an ambitious plan to expand its presence in regional markets for innovative pharmaceuticals.

 

He said that Fosun Pharma is seeking local partners in Jordan to establish a joint venture to introduce and license innovative Chinese medicines through Jordanian distribution networks for local and regional markets.

 

The proposed cooperation would extend beyond the supply and distribution of medicines to include joint clinical R&D, with Wang noting that establishing a clinical trials network could serve as an initial step in the partnership.

 

He said that the development of the partnership would rely heavily on Jordanian expertise and efforts to advance local drug discovery, adding that the Kingdom has the capabilities to serve as a gateway to regional and global markets.

 

On the pharmaceutical sector, Xiao Weihong, chairman and CEO of Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical, highlighted Jordan’s advanced industrial base.

 

He pointed to Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ sophisticated manufacturing facilities, which are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as a factor that could enhance prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation.

 

Xiao described Jordan as a “golden gateway” to Asian, European and African markets, stressing that cooperation could extend beyond innovative medicines to include high-quality Jordanian pharmaceutical products and facilitate their entry into the Chinese market.

 

He added that potential areas of cooperation include R&D, joint ventures and the establishment of manufacturing plants, which could support the expansion of Jordanian companies and open further opportunities in European and African markets.

 

In the food sector, Chen Yiyi, chairman of Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, highlighted Jordan’s strategic location and extensive network of FTAs with Arab, European and American countries, saying these advantages could support further cooperation.

 

He also cited the Kingdom’s skilled workforce, advanced industrial sector and technical expertise as factors offering broad opportunities for partnership between Jordan and Milkground.

 

Chen said cooperation would not focus solely on increasing productivity and efficiency, but would also place greater emphasis on R&D.

 

During the meeting, representatives of the Chinese companies expressed interest in exploring cooperation opportunities with Jordan’s public and private sectors in the pharmaceutical, food, engineering, agricultural and aviation industries.