CFDA Officials Cite Rapid Growth of Asian Pharmaceutical Sector at Regulatory Conference
Trade volume in the Southeast region of Asia is expanding rapidly, China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) Deputy Commissioner Yin Li noted at a conference co-sponsored by CFDA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 3 September 2013 in Nanning, China.
Li said that the trade volume in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area increased by 13% to $5.114 billion in 2012, up from $4.5 billion in 2011. But even this rapid growth was outpaced by that of China, which Li said has experienced a growth rate of more than 20% annually.
The session was co-sponsored by the CFDA and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Government, with attendance by the Lao People's Democratic Republic Deputy Minister of Health, the Myanmar Deputy Minister of Health, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Deputy Health Minister and other ASEAN countries as well as Hong Kong and Macao health and drug regulatory agency representatives.