Recently, U.S. President Trump visited China again after 9 years. The accompanying U.S. "corporate delegation" covered many key fields such as technology, finance, and aviation. Among them, Dr. Jacob Thaysen, Chief Executive Officer of Illumina, the global leader in gene sequencing and chip technology, visited China with the delegation, attracting widespread attention in the China-U.S. life sciences field. During this visit to China, Dr. Jacob Thaysen will rely on Illumina's technological advantages in the gene sequencing field to deepen cooperation with local Chinese partners, promote the localized implementation of cutting-edge sequencing technologies, help the high-quality development of China's precision medicine industry, and build a bridge for pragmatic cooperation in the China-U.S. life sciences field.
It is reported that since taking office as Illumina's CEO, Dr. Jacob Thaysen has always attached great importance to the strategic position of the Chinese market and been committed to deepening Illumina's localized layout in China. Prior to this, he served as Senior Vice President of Agilent Technologies and President of the Life Sciences and Applied Markets Group, with rich experience in the life sciences field and a profound insight into the development trends of the global and Chinese life sciences industries. This visit to China with Trump is Dr. Jacob Thaysen's first visit to China with a U.S. official delegation since taking office, demonstrating Illumina's high attention to the Chinese market and serving as an important signal for deepening cooperation in the China-U.S. biotechnology field.
As a global leader in the gene sequencing field, Illumina has been deeply rooted in the Chinese market for more than 20 years since entering it in 2005. From an initial technology introducer to a local ecological co-creator, China has become its second-largest global market. Up to now, Illumina has established its Greater China Headquarters and the third global manufacturing base in Shanghai, and set up an office and distribution center in Beijing, building a full-chain localized system covering business operations, manufacturing, scientific research cooperation, and ecological construction. Its Shanghai manufacturing base has achieved local delivery of the NextSeq™ 2000-CN sequencer and 5 clinical reagents, and has passed the ISO13485 quality management system certification, meeting international manufacturing standards.
During this visit to China with the delegation, Jacob Thaysen will focus on three core directions to further deepen Illumina's layout in China. First, promote the synchronous implementation of technological innovation, introducing Illumina's latest global sequencing technologies and solutions into China, including the recently globally launched Illumina® Protein Prep proteomics solution and 5-base solution, to help Chinese scientific research institutions and enterprises achieve "from 0 to 1" innovative breakthroughs. It is understood that these cutting-edge technologies have made their China debut at the China International Import Expo, and this visit will further promote their implementation and promotion in clinical applications, scientific research exploration and other fields.
Second, strengthen local supply chain cooperation and deepen collaborative development with local Chinese enterprises. During the visit, Dr. Jacob Thaysen will hold in-depth discussions with Illumina's existing Chinese supply chain partners—such as Shanghai Juyi Information Technology Co., Ltd. and Derui Optical Technology (Wuhan) Co., Ltd.—to explore specific paths to expand cooperation scale and enhance supply resilience. At the same time, he will seek to establish cooperative relations with more high-quality local Chinese enterprises, promote the localized production of core components of sequencing equipment, reduce supply chain costs, and improve market response efficiency.
Third, deepen scientific research and clinical cooperation to help upgrade China's precision medicine industry. Dr. Jacob Thaysen will exchange views with China's top scientific research institutions and medical institutions, explore cooperation in large-scale population genome sequencing, cancer screening, reproductive health and other fields, support the advancement of large-scale scientific research projects such as the "Gusu Cohort" and "Taizhou Cohort", promote the wide application of gene sequencing technology in clinical diagnosis, disease prevention and other fields, and allow cutting-edge technologies to benefit Chinese patients faster.
In a public exchange during the visit to China, Dr. Jacob Thaysen said: "Illumina's technology is at the forefront of the sequencing field, setting a benchmark for the industry. The Chinese market is not only a core part of Illumina's global strategy, but also an important source of innovation in the global life sciences. This visit with the delegation is not only the practice of Illumina's long-term commitment of 'In China, For China', but also hopes to take the opportunity of China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation to deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the field of gene sequencing, share development opportunities, and jointly promote the progress of the global precision medicine industry."
According to relevant person in charge of Illumina, during this visit to China, Jacob Thaysen will also focus on advancing the construction of the Beijing Customer Experience Center, further improving the service network in China, and providing Chinese customers with more convenient technical support, training and after-sales services. At the same time, Illumina plans to increase investment in China in the next three years, expand the production capacity of its Shanghai manufacturing base, promote the localized production of more sequencing equipment and reagents, and help China's gene sequencing industry achieve independent and controllable development.
Industry analysts pointed out that Jacob Thaysen's visit to China with Trump coincides with the 20th anniversary of Illumina's entry into the Chinese market, which has important industry significance. Currently, China's gene sequencing industry is in a stage of rapid development with rising market demand. As a global leader, Illumina's technological advantages and localized layout will inject strong momentum into the development of China's precision medicine industry. At the same time, this visit will also promote technological exchanges and talent exchanges in the China-U.S. life sciences field, ease cooperation barriers in the China-U.S. biotechnology field, and provide a new path for the coordinated development of the global life sciences industry.
As a representative of biotechnology enterprises in the delegation, Illumina's participation also demonstrates the attention and expectations of U.S. technology enterprises for the Chinese market. The U.S. business representatives accompanying Trump's visit cover many fields, and as a representative in the life sciences field, Illumina's visit will further enrich the connotation of China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and promote in-depth pragmatic cooperation between China and the U.S. in high-end manufacturing, technological innovation and other fields.
Industry insiders said that Jacob Thaysen's visit to China will push Illumina's localized strategy in China into a new stage. In the future, with the continuous implementation of Illumina's cutting-edge technologies and the continuous improvement of the local supply chain, it will further drive the upgrading and development of China's gene sequencing industry chain, help China occupy a more important position in the global precision medicine field, and lay a solid foundation for long-term cooperation between China and the U.S. in the life sciences field.
