China's first wholly foreign-owned tertiary general hospital opens in Tianjin

(ECNS) -- The Perennial General Hospital Tianjin, China’s first wholly foreign-owned tertiary general hospital, officially opened on Wednesday.

The hospital, operated by Singapore-based Perennial Holdings Private Limited, is located in Xiqing District, North China’s Tianjin Municipality.

The opening marks the full operation of the Perennial Medical Cluster, which includes a tertiary general hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, and a brain specialty hospital. The cluster boasts a total of 1,000 beds, with a total investment of 2 billion RMB (about $278.8 million ).

In September 2024, China issued a notice on the pilot program for further opening up in the healthcare sector, with Tianjin designated as one of the nine provinces and municipalities to launch wholly foreign-funded hospital trials.

In a speech at the opening ceremony, Singapore’s Ambassador to China, Peter Tan, emphasized that the project embodies the spirit of comprehensive, high-quality cooperation between Singapore and China. He added that the new medical services and cooperative model would benefit both countries, offering a fresh platform for Singaporean and Chinese businesses to collaborate.

Pua Seck Guan, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Perennial Holdings, shared in an interview that the group plans to replicate the successful Tianjin model in other high-speed rail hub cities in China, such as Kunming, Xi’an, Chongqing, and Guangzhou, to build a nationwide healthcare network.