On July 10th, Chengdu Hi-tech Zone and Gilead Sciences inked a strategic 
cooperation agreement on the Gilead Sciences Western China Operation Center 
project, which marked the official registration of its western China operation 
center in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone.

Established in 1987 and headquartered in California, Gilead Sciences is one of 
the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world. As a pioneer in producing 
drugs for AIDS and hepatic diseases, its business income amounted to USD 22.1 
billion in 2018, ranking the 455th on the Fortune Global 500 list.

It was introduced by Luo Yongqing, Global Vice President of Gilead Sciences and 
General Manager of Gilead Sciences (China), that the establishment was to take 
Sichuan and Chengdu Hi-tech Zone as one of its important strategic bases in 
China. Going forward, the center will be mainly engaged in the operation and 
management of Gilead Sciences' business in western China, which will be of 
great significance to effectively promoting the development of the 
bioengineering and pharmaceutical industry in Chengdu and Sichuan and even the 
central and western China.

As an important node city in the junction of "Belt & Road" and Yangtze River 
Economic Belt, Chengdu has already opened 112 international (regional) flights. 
Chengdu is the only city in central and western China that owns two airports. 
The annual passenger throughput of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport 
reaches 50 million. Chengdu has become a favored destination for foreign 
investment owing to its continuously-optimized international business 
environment in recent years. So far, 288 of Fortune Global 500 have set up 
their offices in Chengdu, mainly from 22 regions such as Europe, US, Japan, and 
South Korea.

As Chengdu's main field of bioengineering and pharmaceutical industry, Chengdu 
Hi-tech Zone has been striving to set up modern biological industrial system 
with international competitiveness in recent years. Chengdu Tianfu 
International Bio-town which was completed in 2016 has attracted 127 projects 
up to now with an overall investment agreement valued at more than RMB 100 
billion. Furthermore, it has introduced five Nobel Prize-winning teams. Chengdu 
Hi-tech Zone jumped to the 6th place on the overall competitiveness ranking 
among 171 biomedical industrial parks in 2018 selected by the National Center 
for Biotechnology Information of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the 
People's Republic of China.

Source: Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone