The innovation landscape of the global medical technology industry is quietly changing.
For the past few decades, medical technology innovation has primarily concentrated in the United States and Europe, where multinational companies completed research and development and then entered emerging markets like China through global promotion. This has been the most typical business path. However, in recent years, with the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital healthcare, as well as the rapid enhancement of China's medical needs and industrial capabilities, this pattern is being disrupted.
On one hand, the scale of China's medical technology market continues to expand, with an accelerating aging population, rising burden of chronic diseases, and uneven distribution of medical resources increasing the demand for new technologies and models within the healthcare system. On the other hand, the advantages of domestic companies in engineering capabilities, product iteration speed, and applications of artificial intelligence are gradually becoming apparent, with a number of innovative enterprises beginning to emerge in the global market.
Against this backdrop, multinational medical technology companies like Medtronic are also changing their positioning in the Chinese market.
&#34;In the past medical technology industry, almost all innovations in the world came from the United States. However, we are now seeing another country rise to become a major source of innovation in this field, and that is China, especially in the areas of robotics, digitalization, and artificial intelligence,&#34; said Jeff Martha, Chairman and CEO of Medtronic.
This judgment has also become an important background for Medtronic to reassess its market strategy in China.
In his view, China is not only one of the most important medical technology markets globally but is also becoming an important source of medical technology innovation. This change is driving Medtronic's strategy in China into a new phase— &#34;from an innovator of technology to a co-builder of the local ecosystem.&#34;
Multinational medical technology companies are reassessing the Chinese market
During the recent China Development Forum, Jeff Martha repeatedly mentioned a core judgment: &#34;China will not only become one of the largest medical technology markets in the world but will also become an important source of global medical innovation.&#34;
Behind this statement is Medtronic's 37 years of observation and reflection on the Chinese market, marking a comprehensive upgrade of its localization strategy from version 2.0 to 3.0.
One of Jeff Martha's most intuitive feelings during this trip is that the capability for medical technology innovation in China is undergoing a qualitative leap.
At another high-level management forum hosted by the China Europe International Business School, Jeff Martha stated, &#34;Historically, almost all innovations in our industry have come from the United States, and this has been the case since Medtronic was founded 76 years ago.&#34;
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Jeff Martha speaking at the high-level management forum hosted by the China Europe International Business School
Jeff Martha admitted, &#34;But today, for the first time, you see another country becoming a source of significant innovation, and that is China.&#34;
In his view, China's rapid development in engineering manufacturing, medical device innovation, artificial intelligence, and digital healthcare is transforming the country from a &#34;fast follower&#34; of innovation to one of the important sources of global medical technology innovation
This transformation is not accidental. China's enormous medical demand and diverse clinical application scenarios provide a unique soil for innovation.
Jeff Massa deeply feels through intensive communication with the government, hospitals, and doctors that the innovation logic driven by real-world needs is giving rise to a large number of valuable technological breakthroughs. Companies can not only gain scalable market opportunities here but also validate the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of innovative technologies through local implementation.
The profound changes in the policy environment are also reshaping the industry landscape. Jeff Massa mentioned that the Chinese medical industry is undergoing a structural adjustment.
The promotion of payment models such as DRG/DIP based on disease types has made hospitals' clinical resource allocation and cost control more refined.
This poses new requirements for medical technology companies: not only must they have innovative products, but they must also provide overall solutions that align with value-oriented operations. This also means that companies must collaborate deeply with hospitals to jointly explore new models that enhance efficacy while controlling costs.
At the same time, the advancement of volume-based procurement has further changed the industry pricing system.
In recent years, many high-value medical devices have been included in the centralized procurement scope, leading to a significant price decline. The reshaping of the pricing system has made it increasingly difficult for companies to rely solely on high-priced products for growth, prompting multinational medical technology companies to reassess their development paths in the Chinese market.
In this process, some multinational medical technology companies have begun to adjust their business structures in China, reducing certain product lines or slowing down investment pace, as the industry enters a new adaptation phase.
Jeff Massa stated that the rapid changes in prices indeed pose challenges for companies, but they are also driving industry transformation. Currently, the healthcare system faces three major challenges: improving clinical outcomes, expanding medical accessibility, and reducing medical costs. China's policy reforms are simultaneously promoting the achievement of these three goals.
&#34;This is a challenge for the entire industry, but it is also an opportunity,&#34; Jeff Massa said. As the healthcare system pays more attention to efficiency and costs, the value of technology will no longer be just about breakthrough points, but whether it can help the healthcare system as a whole improve efficiency.
In response to this change, Medtronic is also adjusting its strategy in China.
Jeff Massa mentioned that the company is responding to industry changes in various ways, including strengthening local production capabilities, collaborating with Chinese innovative companies, and promoting digitalization and artificial intelligence applications.
For example, in terms of cost structure, Medtronic is strengthening its local supply chain and production capabilities in China to enhance cost competitiveness; in terms of innovation collaboration, the company is developing more cost-effective technological products in partnership with Chinese innovative companies through investment and cooperation.
At the same time, Medtronic is also promoting Chinese innovations to enter the global market. Through global channels, innovative products developed or collaborated on in China will be pushed to overseas markets to form new growth models.
Against the backdrop of changes in the policy environment and market structure, the Chinese market for multinational medical technology companies is no longer just a simple growth market but is becoming an important pivot for strategic adjustment and innovation exploration.
Localization Strategy Upgrade: Co-creating and Building Ecosystems with China
Based on the understanding and judgment of industry trends, Medtronic's localization layout in the Chinese market is accelerating comprehensively. The core of its localization strategy has evolved from the early &#34;bringing global innovations to China&#34; to today's &#34;co-creating and building an ecosystem with China.&#34;
Jeff Martha mentioned multiple times during his visit to China that Medtronic's strategy in China is entering a new phase.
On the R&amp;D front, Medtronic is continuously strengthening its local R&amp;D capabilities.
According to data disclosed by Medtronic, the Medtronic China R&amp;D Center has developed a total of 70 innovative products, covering surgical technologies and products, respiratory and monitoring solutions, and interventional vascular treatment solutions, among which 64 have successfully been launched, with 30 exported to overseas markets.
The NuPace™ series of implantable cardiac pacemakers, cardiac pacing electrode leads, and programmer software developed and produced by Medtronic's wholly-owned subsidiary, Mai'an Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., located in the Lingang New Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, has officially received approval from the National Medical Products Administration and is about to be put into clinical application.
These changes also signify that the role of the Chinese team in the global R&amp;D system is being elevated.
On the other hand, the localization of the supply chain and production system has also become an important direction for multinational companies' strategic adjustments.
With the increasing uncertainty in global supply chains in recent years, medical technology companies have begun to place greater emphasis on regional supply capacity building. Medtronic is also continuously strengthening its local production and supply chain layout in China to enhance response speed and reduce operational costs.
It is reported that Medtronic has developed nearly 7,000 supply chain partners in China. In fiscal year 2025, Medtronic's procurement in China is expected to be approximately 5 billion RMB, with 90% of indirect procurement provided by local suppliers; in terms of key components, raw materials, and contract manufacturing, about 90% of direct procurement content supplies Medtronic's overseas factories, supporting Medtronic's global manufacturing system.
In addition to internal capability building, Medtronic is also strengthening cooperation with Chinese innovative enterprises, attempting to participate in China's medical technology innovation ecosystem in a more systematic way.
The China Fund is an important part of its local strategic layout and is also the only region-specific investment fund established by Medtronic globally.
The first phase of the fund has successfully invested in 10 local medical technology startups, covering fields such as surgical robots, neuromodulation, and otolaryngology; the second phase of the fund was launched in 2023, focusing on major diseases such as cardiovascular, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as AI, digitalization, and robotics technology; the third phase of the fund is also actively being prepared, planning to introduce local government funding to build a &#34;two-way bridge&#34; that continues to support local innovation while strengthening the two-way link with Medtronic's global business.
In Jeff Martha's view, Chinese innovative enterprises often possess strong engineering capabilities and rapid iteration abilities, while multinational companies have advantages in global commercialization and clinical resources. Cooperation between the two can create a complementary effect.
This model also reflects the changing relationship between multinational medical technology companies and China's innovation ecosystem—from &#34;competitors&#34; gradually shifting to &#34;partners.&#34;
More importantly, this cooperation is no longer limited to the Chinese market but is aimed at the global stage.
Some innovative products from China may enter international markets through the global channels of multinational companies in the future; at the same time, multinational companies can leverage Chinese innovations to reduce product costs and enhance the speed of technological iteration.
In the context of increasingly fierce global competition in medical technology, this cooperation model is becoming a new development path.
AI and Data-Driven: The Chinese Innovation Logic Behind the Beijing Innovation Center
If the upgrade of localization strategies represents changes at the organizational level, then artificial intelligence and digitalization are becoming the key drivers for implementing this strategy.
Jeff Massa believes that artificial intelligence is changing the underlying logic of the medical technology industry. Especially in areas such as surgery, chronic disease management, and telemedicine, AI and data are driving healthcare from being &#34;experience-driven&#34; to &#34;data-driven.&#34;
In his speech, Jeff Massa detailed how AI empowers the surgical process: by deep learning from massive surgical videos, AI models can identify surgical steps, key anatomical structures, and potential risks in real-time, guiding surgeons through operations like an experienced mentor. Post-surgery, AI can automatically time, generate reports, and conduct peer comparisons, helping doctors continuously improve.
In the field of spinal surgery, Medtronic has built the &#34;AiBLE&#34; ecosystem, achieving a complete closed loop from preoperative AI planning, intraoperative robotic navigation to postoperative rehabilitation tracking, and is nearing the automation of certain surgical steps.
Such technologies not only help improve the quality of healthcare but may also shorten the training cycle for doctors, thereby alleviating the issue of uneven distribution of medical resources.
In this wave of medical AI transformation, China is seen as one of the most promising innovation scenarios.
On one hand, China has a large patient population and rich clinical scenarios, providing a wealth of real-world data for AI models; on the other hand, the rapid development of local artificial intelligence and digital healthcare companies has significantly accelerated the speed of technology implementation.
Against this backdrop, Medtronic views Beijing—its digital healthcare innovation base—as a crucial pivot for its AI strategy in China.
In October 2025, Medtronic's first digital healthcare innovation base in China officially landed at the Beijing International Pharmaceutical Innovation Park.
One of the core tasks of this center is to develop disease management solutions based on artificial intelligence and big data. Jeff Massa described the value of this center as &#34;convening&#34;—it has the ability to bring together Medtronic's technological advantages, clinical data from Chinese hospitals, and the algorithmic capabilities of local AI companies to collaboratively address specific clinical challenges.
At the cooperation level, Medtronic is conducting multiple collaborations with Chinese hospitals and research institutions through this innovation base.
Recently, Medtronic signed a broad cooperation framework with Beijing Anzhen Hospital, focusing on joint scientific research in key areas such as cardiovascular diseases based on the innovation center platform, while simultaneously advancing cooperation explorations in clinical trials of innovative products and clinical applications of cutting-edge technologies
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Medtronic has signed a broad cooperation framework with Beijing Anzhen Hospital.
This multi-party collaborative innovation model also reflects the changes in the path of medical technology innovation—from single enterprise research and development to ecological innovation.
China has unique advantages under this model: abundant clinical resources, a rapidly developing AI industry, and policy support for digital healthcare, making China an important testing ground for medical technology innovation

Medtronic CEO Jeff Martha stated that China is becoming an important source of global medical technology innovation. With the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital healthcare, the scale of the Chinese medical market continues to expand, and demand is constantly increasing. The advantages of local companies in technology and product iteration are gradually becoming apparent, driving a qualitative change in medical technology innovation. Medtronic's market strategy is also being adjusted, shifting from a technology exporter to a local ecosystem co-builder, marking an upgrade in its localization strategy

Medtronic CEO Jeff Martha: China is becoming an important source of global medical technology innovation