China's commitment to opening-up positive, GSK chief says

China's commitment to opening-up and win-win collaboration is very exciting for international companies, including GSK, said Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, at the sidelines of the China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday.

"I am absolutely delighted to be here. I think it (the China Development Forum) is wonderful. This event has been going on for 20 years. You get a really strong sense of how China is committed to opening-up and win-win collaboration. There is a lot of discussion of teamwork and partnership, so that's very exciting," Walmsley said.

As a healthcare company, GSK is very excited to see how deregulation has been progressing in China over the last two years to really drive forward support for more innovation to come through and they expect that to continue.

Walmsley said what was also exciting in China is how innovative the country is becoming in its own right, particularly when you think about the digital China agenda and the country's new capabilities in AI and machine learning.

Through a real openness to partnership and shared learning, more achievements will be made altogether, Walmsley added.

In terms of intellectual property protection, Walsley also recognized China's real commitment to continue to make progress on these kinds of issues - which matter for many industries - and emphasized mutual trust is important for sustainable innovation and investment.