Chongqing: China-Singapore Initiative vs. Financial Hub?
Chongqing's "Innovation" Push: More Hype Than Hope?
So, Chongqing wants to be the next biotech hub? Give me a break. Every city in China seems to be chasing the same "innovation" dream these days – electric vehicles, AI, biotech… it's like they're all reading from the same, tired script.
The claim is that Chongqing – a city traditionally known for churning out manufactured goods – is suddenly going to become a hotbed for "innovative drugs." They’ve got a plan, a "25-point plan" no less, to have one to three new drugs approved each year by 2027. One to three? That's it? That's the moonshot? And who decides what "innovative" even means?
They're throwing around terms like "sci-tech self-reliance" and "industrial innovation system." Translation: We're playing catch-up with the rest of the world, and we need to look like we're doing something about it.
Financial Shenanigans and Singapore
But wait, there's more! Not only is Chongqing trying to become a biotech powerhouse, they're also positioning themselves as a major financial hub. All thanks to their "strategic connectivity" with Singapore. Apparently, a decade of hand-holding with Singapore has transformed this "inland city with limited global reach" into a financial juggernaut. Strong Singapore Partnership Bolsters Chongqing's Rise as Financial Hub in Western China
Color me skeptical.
They signed a bunch of "cooperation projects" worth billions of dollars. They've got MOUs and pilot programs and "facilitation" measures coming out of their ears. They even let some e-commerce company transfer funds directly from Amazon without using a "third-party payment institution." Wow, groundbreaking stuff.
It sounds like they're trying to create a parallel financial universe, one where they can bypass the usual regulations and oversight. And I'm sure that'll end well.
Speaking of Singapore, they also appointed five "Chongqing Culture and Tourism Promotion Ambassadors" from various countries. Good for them. I am sure that will boost tourism.
The "Class 1 Innovative Drug" Mirage
Let's get back to these "innovative drugs" for a second. Apparently, Chongqing got its first "Class 1 innovative drug" approved last year – a treatment for psoriasis. According to the National Medical Products Administration, a Class 1 drug is one that "contains new compounds with clear structures and pharmacological effects, has clinical value and has not been marketed anywhere in the world before."
Okay, so it's actually innovative. Maybe. But how much of that "innovation" was actually developed in Chongqing? How much was copied, borrowed, or "inspired" from existing research? They don't say. Details on the actual science behind this miracle drug are suspiciously absent.
And honestly, the idea that a city government can just decide to become an "innovation hub" is laughable. Innovation isn't something you can mandate from above. It comes from the bottom up – from creative individuals, from risk-takers, from people who are willing to challenge the status quo.
Which, let's be real, isn't exactly the kind of environment that authoritarian governments tend to foster.
Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Chongqing really is on the verge of a biotech revolution. Maybe they'll cure cancer and invent cold fusion and solve all the world's problems.
But I doubt it.