- Wholly-foreign-owned hospitals are piloted in nine regions — Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hainan island — under the Nov-2024 pilot plan; outside those areas foreign-invested hospitals remain equity or cooperative joint ventures.
外商独资医院在九地试点——北京、天津、上海、南京、苏州、福州、广州、深圳及海南全岛——依 2024 年 11 月试点方案；试点外外资办医仍以合资/合作形式为主。- China’s first wholly-foreign-owned tertiary general hospital — Tianjin Pengruili Hospital — opened on 26 February 2025 with about ¥1 billion invested and 500 beds, after Tianjin issued the first such licence on 16 December 2024.
中国首家外商独资三级综合医院天津鹏瑞利医院于 2025 年 2 月 26 日开诊，投资约 10 亿元、设 500 张床位；天津于 2024 年 12 月 16 日颁发首张该类执业许可证。- The 2026 action plan commits to further expanding the biotech and wholly-foreign-owned-hospital pilot regions after evaluating the initial rollout, signalling that more cities will be added.
2026 年行动方案承诺在评估初期落地情况后进一步扩大生物技术及外商独资医院试点区域，预示更多城市将加入。- The Jan-2026 “nine-city services-opening” comprehensive pilot assigned 159 tasks (103 common plus 3 added) spanning medical-senior-care opening, telecom and finance — extending the policy floor beyond the nine hospital-pilot regions.
2026 年 1 月”9 城市服务业扩大开放”综合试点部署 159 项任务（103 项共性加 3 项新增），覆盖医疗康养开放、电信、金融等，将政策底盘扩展至九个医院试点区域之外。- As of end-2025 a batch of wholly-foreign-owned hospitals had been approved, joining the 60-plus foreign-invested (mostly joint-venture) medical institutions already operating in China.
截至 2025 年底，一批外商独资医院已获批，叠加中国已有的 60 余家外资（多为合资）医疗机构。- Practical constraints are real for foreign investors: TCM is excluded, public-hospital mergers are barred, and human-genetic-resource and data-export rules still apply — so JV and greenfield WFOE each carry trade-offs.
外资办医仍有实质约束：不含中医类、不含并购公立医院，且人类遗传资源与数据出境规则仍适用——故合资或绿地独资各有权衡。
Foreign-invested hospitals: the 2026 liberalisation and where they can land | 2026 外资办医政策松绑与落地城市
Overview
Healthcare services are among the last major service sectors where foreign access remains conditional in China, but 2024–2026 has brought the most significant opening in a generation. The centrepiece is a pilot that, for the first time, permits wholly-foreign-owned hospitals in nine designated regions, alongside a long-standing joint-venture route that remains available nationwide. The 2026 “Stabilising and Improving Foreign Investment” action plan then commits to widening the pilot further.
This article traces the liberalisation timeline, the nine pilot regions and why they were chosen, the landing cases already on the ground, the joint-venture baseline, and the practical constraints and steps a foreign investor should plan around. It is informational guidance, not regulatory or legal advice.
The liberalisation timeline (2024–2026)
- September 2024 — three-ministry medical pilot notice. The Ministry of Commerce, the National Health Commission (NHC) and the NMPA issued a notice opening pilot measures in healthcare. In biotech, foreign-invested enterprises were allowed, in the Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong free-trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port, to conduct human stem-cell, gene-diagnosis and gene-therapy technology development and application for product registration and production. In the hospital field, the notice proposed allowing wholly-foreign-owned hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hainan island (TCM excluded; no merger of public hospitals).
- 1 November 2024 — negative list clears manufacturing. The 2024 negative list took effect, removing the last manufacturing-sector foreign-access restrictions. While hospitals are a service sector, this signalled the broader opening direction and eased ancillary manufacturing (e.g. devices, supplies) for foreign healthcare investors.
- November 2024 — the WFOE-hospital pilot plan. The NHC, MOFCOM, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the China CDC published the *Pilot Work Plan for Expanding Opening in the Wholly-Foreign-Owned Hospital Field*, formalising the nine-region pilot and the exclusions.
- January 2026 — nine-city services-opening pilot. MOFCOM issued the comprehensive services-opening pilot tasks for nine cities (led by Dalian), assigning 159 tasks — 103 common tasks plus 3 added — covering medical-senior-care opening, telecom, finance and more, broadening the policy floor well beyond the nine hospital-pilot regions.
- June 2026 — action plan expansion signal. The State Council information office briefing on the “Stabilising and Improving Foreign Investment” action plan confirmed the biotech pilot covers the Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong FTZs plus Hainan, and the wholly-foreign-owned-hospital pilot covers the nine regions; it committed to studying a further expansion of these pilot geographies after evaluating the initial rollout.
The nine pilot regions and why
The nine are Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hainan island. The NHC’s stated rationale is practical. First, demand: these are high-openness, foreign-enterprise- and expatriate-dense locations with stronger multi-tiered healthcare demand. Second, governance maturity: since the 2000 *Interim Measures for Sino-Foreign Equity/Cooperative Medical Institutions*, a sizable share of Sino-foreign medical institutions have clustered in exactly these provinces, building regulatory experience. Third, investment weight: these regions account for over 45% of actual utilised foreign capital, making them natural magnets for hospital investment.
Landing cases already on the ground
- Tianjin Pengruili Hospital — the flagship. On 16 December 2024 Tianjin issued the first wholly-foreign-owned tertiary general hospital licence; the hospital opened on 26 February 2025. Invested by Singapore’s Pengruili (Perennial) Group at about ¥1 billion with 500 beds, it offers broad specialties plus an international department for customised and chronic-disease management, and sits inside the Tianjin South Station health-city TOD complex.
- Guangzhou — rehab and a tertiary general plan. A Guangzhou development zone partnership with Pengruili is building the city’s first wholly-foreign-owned specialty hospital (a rehabilitation hospital) expected to open by end-2026; a separate Baiyun district project (Phase-I ¥1 billion) is planned as South China’s first wholly-foreign-owned tertiary general hospital.
- Hainan — timed to the FTP seal. On the day of the Hainan Free Trade Port’s “sealing” at end-2025, a Pengruili-invested wholly-foreign-owned rehabilitation hospital was established there.
- Scale of the base. As of end-2025, a batch of wholly-foreign-owned hospitals had been approved, joining the 60-plus foreign-invested medical institutions (mostly joint ventures) already operating across China.
The joint-venture baseline (still nationwide)
Wholly-foreign-owned hospitals are a pilot privilege confined to nine regions. Outside them, foreign healthcare investment continues under the 2000 *Interim Measures*, which permit Sino-foreign equity or cooperative medical institutions subject to provincial/municipal health-commission approval. This JV route remains the workhorse for foreign groups that want a China footprint outside the pilot geographies, or that prefer a local partner for land, staffing and payer relationships. Many of the 60-plus existing foreign medical institutions are JVs, and they provide a proven template: foreign capital plus a Chinese partner navigating licensing, staffing and hospital-administration rules.
Practical constraints foreign investors must respect
The opening is real but bounded. Key guardrails:
- TCM excluded. Wholly-foreign-owned hospitals may not be traditional Chinese-medicine institutions.
- No public-hospital M&A. The pilot explicitly bars acquiring or merging public hospitals.
- Human genetic resources. Hospitals engaging in research involving human genetic resources remain subject to HGR approval and compliance — a live constraint for internationally linked groups running trials or biobanks.
- Data export and cybersecurity. Cross-border transfer of patient or research data must satisfy PIPL and cybersecurity/important-data rules; groups with regional or global data lakes need a compliant architecture.
- Licensing and staffing. A 医疗机构执业许可证 from the competent health commission is mandatory, and foreign-trained physicians must meet PRC practice-qualification requirements.
What foreign investors should do next
- Pick the structure by geography. Use the WFOE route only inside the nine pilot regions; elsewhere plan a JV under the 2000 measures.
- Secure the licence early. Engage the provincial/municipal health commission on the 医疗机构执业许可证 pathway and timeline before committing capital.
- Choose the city deliberately. Weight the nine pilot regions by expatriate demand, existing foreign-medical-institution experience, and real-estate/payer access; TOD health-city models (as Pengruili deployed) can de-risk fixed costs.
- Model the exclusions. Confirm the project is neither TCM nor a public-hospital acquisition, and build HGR and data-export compliance into the design from day one.
- Watch the 2026 expansion. Track the action plan’s further pilot-region enlargement — new eligible cities may open greenfield options without a JV.
- Plan the JV alternative. Where speed or a local partner matters, the nationwide JV route remains available and battle-tested.
Common pitfalls
- Assuming WFOE is allowed nationwide. It is confined to the nine pilot regions; elsewhere a JV is required.
- Assuming TCM or public-hospital M&A is permitted. Both are explicitly excluded from the pilot.
- Overlooking HGR and data-export rules. International groups running research or centralising data can breach HGR/PIPL without a compliant design.
- Underestimating licensing and staffing lead times. The 执业许可证 and physician-qualification pathway are the critical path, not the capital.
- Treating the pilot as settled national policy. It remains a pilot whose geography and conditions can expand or adjust — plan for change.
Sources
- 国务院新闻办发布会介绍利用外资固稳促优有关政策措施 (2026-06): https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/fabu/202606/content_7074496.htm
- 人民日报（海外版）《独资医院领域扩大开放试点工作方案》解读 (2024-12-03): https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/pc/content/202412/03/content_30032517.html
- 光明日报《我国首家外商独资三级综合医院开诊》(2025-02-27): https://m.gmw.cn/gmsogh/202502/27/37873333.html
- 商务部（MOFCOM）官方门户：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn
Related reading
- see also: Healthcare & pharma market access (NMPA) / 医疗医药准入（药监局）
- see also: Pharma opening measures under the 2026 action plan / 医药产业开放新措施
2026 外资办医政策松绑与落地城市
概述
医疗服务是中国少数外资准入仍属有条件开放的服务大类中之一，但 2024–2026 年迎来了 Generation 以来最显著的开放。核心是一项和以往不同、首次允许在九个指定区域设立外商独资医院的试点，同时全国仍可走的合资路线依旧有效。2026 年《利用外资固稳促优行动方案》进而承诺进一步扩大试点。
本文梳理开放时间线、九个试点区域及其选定逻辑、已落地的案例、合资基线，以及外资投资者须规划的实务约束与步骤。本文仅为信息参考，不构成监管或法律意见。
开放时间线（2024–2026）
- 2024 年 9 月——三部委会医疗试点通知。 商务部、国家卫健委、国家药监局印发在医疗领域开展扩大开放试点的通知。生物技术领域，允许外商投资企业在北京、上海、广东自由贸易试验区与海南自由贸易港，从事人体干细胞、基因诊断与治疗技术开发和应用，用于产品注册上市和生产。医院领域，拟允许在北京、天津、上海、南京、苏州、福州、广州、深圳、海南全岛设立外商独资医院（中医类除外，不含并购公立医院）。
- 2024 年 11 月 1 日——负面清单清空制造业。 2024 年版负面清单施行，清除制造业领域最后的外资准入限制。医院虽属服务业，但此举表明整体开放方向，并便利了外资医疗投资者的配套制造（如器械、耗材）。
- 2024 年 11 月——独资医院试点方案。 国家卫健委、商务部、国家中医药局、国家疾控局公布《独资医院领域扩大开放试点工作方案》，固化九区域试点与除外情形。
- 2026 年 1 月——九城市服务业扩大开放试点。 商务部印发大连等 9 城市服务业扩大开放综合试点任务，部署 159 项（103 项共性加 3 项新增），覆盖医疗康养开放、电信、金融等，将政策底盘大幅扩展至九个医院试点区域之外。
- 2026 年 6 月——行动方案扩围信号。 国务院新闻办在《利用外资固稳促优行动方案》发布会上确认：生物技术试点覆盖北京、上海、广东 3 个自贸区加海南，外商独资医院试点覆盖九地；并承诺在评估初期落地后，抓紧研究进一步扩大上述领域试点地域范围。
九个试点区域及其逻辑
九地为北京、天津、上海、南京、苏州、福州、广州、深圳与海南全岛。国家卫健委给出的理由务实。其一，需求：这些地区开放度高、外资企业与外籍人员密集，多元化医疗需求更强。其二，治理成熟度：自 2000 年《中外合资、合作医疗机构管理暂行办法》以来，相当比例的中外医疗机构正聚集于这九省市，积累了监管经验。其三，投资权重：这些区域实际使用外资总额占比超 45%，天然是医院投资磁石。
已落地案例
- 天津鹏瑞利医院——旗舰。 2024 年 12 月 16 日天津颁发首张外商独资三级综合医院执业许可证；医院于 2025 年 2 月 26 日开诊。由新加坡鹏瑞利集团投资约 10 亿元、设 500 张床位，提供多专科及面向定制与慢病管理的国际部，坐落于天津南站健康城 TOD 综合体。
- 广州——康复与三级综合布局。 广州开发区与鹏瑞利合作建设全市首家外商独资专科医院（康复医院），预计 2026 年底运营；白云区另有一期投资 10 亿元的项目，规划为华南首家外商独资三级综合医院。
- 海南——卡位封关。 2025 年底海南自由贸易港封关当日，鹏瑞利投资的外商独资康复医院同步落户。
- 存量规模。 截至 2025 年底，一批外商独资医院已获批，叠加中国已有的 60 余家外资（多为合资）医疗机构。
合资基线（仍全国可用）
外商独资医院是限于九区域的试点特权。在其之外，外资办医仍依 2000 年《暂行办法》以中外合资或合作医疗机构形式，经省级/市级卫健部门批准设立。这条合资路线仍是想在中国落子、但位于试点区域之外，或偏好本地伙伴以处理土地、人员与支付关系的集团的主力选择。现有的 60 余家外资医疗机构多为合资，提供了成熟模板：外资加中国伙伴共同应对许可、人员与医院管理规则。
外资投资者须遵守的实务约束
开放真实但有边界。关键护栏：
- 不含中医类。 外商独资医院不得为中医类机构。
- 不含并购公立医院。 试点明确禁止并购或合并公立医院。
- 人类遗传资源。 涉及人类遗传资源的研究仍须 HGR 审批与合规——对开展试验或生物样本库的国际化集团是实约束。
- 数据出境与网络安全。 患者或研究数据的跨境传输须满足《个人信息保护法》及网络安全/重要数据规则；拥有区域或全球数据湖的集团需合规架构。
- 许可与人员。 须取得卫健部门颁发的《医疗机构执业许可证》；境外 trained 医师须满足中国执业资格要求。
外资投资者下一步
- 按地域选结构。 独资路线仅限九个试点区域内使用；区域外须按 2000 年办法走合资。
- 尽早取证。 在投入资本前，就《医疗机构执业许可证》路径与时间表对接省级/市级卫健部门。
- 审慎择城。 在九试点区域中按外籍需求、既有外资医疗经验、地产与支付可及性加权；TOD 健康城模式（如鹏瑞利）可摊薄固定成本。
- 建模除外项。 确认项目既非中医类也非公立医院并购，并将 HGR 与数据出境合规从第一天纳入设计。
- 跟踪 2026 年扩围。 关注行动方案进一步扩大的试点区域——新合格城市可能无需合资即开放绿地选项。
- 规划合资备选。 当速度或本地伙伴重要时，全国可用的合资路线仍稳健可靠。
常见误读
- 以为独资全国放开。 其限于九个试点区域；区域外须为合资。
- 以为中医类或并购公立医院可行。 两者均被试点明确排除。
- 忽视 HGR 与数据出境规��。 开展研究或集中数据的国际集团，若无合规设计易触 HGR/PIPL 红线。
- 低估许可与人员周期。 执业许可证与医师资格路径才是关键路径，而非资本。
- 把试点当既定国策。 其仍是试点，地域与条件可能扩围或调整——须为变化留预案。
来源
- 国务院新闻办发布会介绍利用外资固稳促优有关政策措施（2026-06）：https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/fabu/202606/content_7074496.htm
- 人民日报（海外版）《独资医院领域扩大开放试点工作方案》解读（2024-12-03）：https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/pc/content/202412/03/content_30032517.html
- 光明日报《我国首家外商独资三级综合医院开诊》（2025-02-27）：https://m.gmw.cn/gmsogh/202502/27/37873333.html
- 商务部（MOFCOM）官方门户：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn
相关阅读
- 参见：医疗医药准入（药监局） / Healthcare & pharma market access (NMPA)
- 参见：医药产业开放新措施 / Pharma opening measures under the 2026 action plan