China is set to vigorously promote its bio-industry over the next few years in an effort to spur domestic consumption and facilitate technological innovation. The “Development Plan for the Bio-Industry (guofa [2012] No. 65, hereinafter referred to as ‘Plan’)” released by China’s State Council on December 29, 2012, has put forward the major development goals and main tasks of the industry by 2015. Detailed information can be found below.

Current situation

The bio-industry is currently one of the seven emerging industries that are of critical importance to the country’s future development. Its total output value has registered an average annual growth of 22.9 percent since 2006, reaching RMB2 trillion in 2011. Moreover, large companies with annual sales of over RMB10 billion have already emerged in key sectors such as bio-medicine, bio-agriculture, bio-manufacturing and bio-energy.

Major development objectives

According to the Plan, the bio-industry will be developed into one of the country’s pillar industries by 2020, with average annual growth of over 20 percent from 2013 to 2015; and the share of its added-value in the national GDP will double the 2010 level by 2015.

Main tasks

From 2013 to 2015, the average annual growth in output value generated by the bio-medical industry shall be above 20 percent, and a batch of enterprises with an annual output value of more than RMB10 billion will be cultivated.
By 2015, the annual output value of the bio-medical engineering industry shall reach RMB400 billion.
By 2015, the annual industrial output of the bio-agriculture industry shall reach RMB300 billion.
By 2015, the annual output of the bio-manufacturing industry shall reach RMB750 billion.
By 2015, the annual utilization volume of the bio-energy industry shall exceed 50 million tons of standard coal.
From 2013 to 2015, the annual output value of the bio-environmental industry shall increase by more than 15 percent each year, reaching RMB150 billion by 2015.
By 2015, the annual output value of the bio-service industry shall reach RMB150 billion.

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