The India-China Drug Regulation Meeting was held in Shanghai on June 21, a move to promote public health and strengthen exchanges and collaboration between the drug regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industries of the two countries.

The meeting was hosted by China National Medical Products Administration and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization of India, organized by the Embassy of India in Beijing, the Consulate General of India in Shanghai, and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, and supported by the Department of Commerce of India.

Speakers at the meeting included Xu Jinghe, Deputy Commissioner of the China National Medical Products Administration, S. E. Reddy, Drug Controller General of India, Shyamal Misra, Joint Secretary of Department of Commerce of India, Mandeep Bhandari, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India and Anil Kumar Rai, Consul General of India in Shanghai.

China and India are both power houses in pharmaceutical manufacturing. While sharing some similarities, both countries have unique strengths and are complementary in certain fields, which forms a solid foundation for bilateral trade and cooperation.

Recent years have seen a sustained growth of trade in the pharmaceutical sector between the two countries. India has become China's fourth largest pharmaceutical trading partner and the largest importer of Chinese active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

At the meeting, the two parties shared extensive discussion over such issues as regulations and technical requirements of import drug registration, overseas drug inspection and compliance guidance, policies and procedures of drug procurement and bidding in China, as well as Sino-India cooperation in the pharmaceutical industries.

Over 150 attendees joined the meeting, including officials from the National Medical Products Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce of China, the National Healthcare Security Administration, the Shanghai Medical Products Administration, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization of India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India, the Department of Commerce of India, the Embassy of India and the Consulate General of India in Shanghai.

Representatives of pharmaceutical associations and enterprises from the two countries also participated in the exchange.

Before the meeting, Xu met with the Indian delegation led by Reddy. The two parties discussed future cooperation between the drug regulatory authorities of the two countries.