After six years leading the French Healthcare Alliance China, Olivier Dessajan has watched the Franco-Chinese healthcare relationship transform beyond recognition; from a one-way flow of products and partnerships into something far more reciprocal. In conversation at the Asia Summit on Global Health 2026 in Hong Kong, Dessajan reflects on what has changed, what hasn't, and why Europe's failure to engage with China's innovation boom would be a serious mistake.
After six years as president of the French Healthcare Alliance China, you’re stepping down. What has the role meant to you?
They have been six wonderful years. I started in 2020, meaning that I have served three mandates representing French companies in China. The Alliance brings together more than 50 French healthcare companies committed to developing their presence here, and the volunteers and leaders who drive it make it what it is. We have tried to act as a bridge between France and China – in the healthcare relationship, and in broader collaboration – and I am proud of what we have built together.
I will now be stepping down and passing the leadership to Servier. Six years is a good run, and it is always important to bring in a fresh vision and spirit. With Servier at the helm, the Alliance will naturally take on a more pharmaceutical orientation, so let’s see what the next chapter brings!
In terms of the business relationship between France and China, what has changed and what hasn’t in six years?
I think the logic has completely changed. Before, it was all about French companies coming to China to sell their products and find partnerships for better distribution. Today, French companies, especially pharmaceutical ones, are looking for partnerships to pursue joint innovation. That shift adds complexity, because we are no longer here simply to sell products – we are also here to understand where the innovation is in China and how to collaborate with local players. It is a fundamentally different mindset; less transactional and more collaborative.
What is the recognition of Brand France in China these days?
I would say that Chinese professionals and government counterparts have a positive image of French research, innovation, and its healthcare industry. This is especially true in my field – elderly care – because they recognise that France has a strong system and powerful geriatric know-how.
The image is genuinely positive but Chinese partners are no longer complacent. They are more quality-oriented, and when you sit down with them, they can quickly detect what is relevant and what is not. They are more professional than they were, which actually makes the relationship more interesting. There are still strong opportunities in the healthcare field between France and China – but the bar is higher, and that is not a bad thing.
What are some of the key challenges of doing business in China today, and how are they impacting your members’ strategies?
First of all, let’s be clear – innovation is everywhere, and it is difficult to know where the best opportunities and the best partners are. That is one challenge in itself.
The second issue is that behind all this innovation, whether from the private or public sector, I am not sure the regulatory framework is evolving fast enough to keep pace. Innovation is not always well rewarded – in terms of reimbursement, for instance, or recognition of genuine therapeutic progress. The key question for our members is how to navigate a fast-developing industry when there is no certainty that the legal and regulatory environment will follow.
In elderly care the challenge is different but equally real. There is enormous and fast-growing demand, but much of it is not affordable. The social security system does not provide meaningful allowance for elderly care, so there is no real safety net.
In our previous conversation, you spoke about how the need for elderly care services exists in China, but the understanding of their importance doesn’t always follow. Has that gap in perception changed?
There are really two kinds of awareness, and they work very differently. The first is gradual – year after year, our offer is becoming better understood and more integrated into society, a slow but steady education. The second is sudden: when a family is confronted with a parent or grandparent with Alzheimer’s, we become the obvious solution immediately. There is no discussion at that point. The problem with relying on that second kind of awareness is that it comes too late – the decision is made under crisis, not through informed choice.
That is partly why we are pivoting our model. We are now developing longevity community solutions focused on prevention for people aged roughly 55 to 85 who want to extend their healthy lifespan. We are working with leading French experts and hospitals to bring medical check-up and prevention programmes to China, Thailand, and Vietnam – helping seniors live longer, healthier lives.
This connects to a broader shift in demand. Post-COVID, people are much more engaged with their health – questioning more, paying closer attention. Today’s seniors want to understand their risks before they ever set foot in a hospital. There is fast-growing demand for ongoing health guidance and personalised risk assessment, and that is a real opportunity.
You’re stepping down as president, but you’re staying in China and continuing with Colisée. After so long in the Chinese business environment, what trends are you most excited about over the next few years?
It’s interesting – in two weeks’ time, I will be heading back to France to present on Chinese innovation to my board for the first time. For a long time, the mindset in Europe was to think about China purely in terms of cost or revenue. Now, the question I am being asked is: can you help us understand the key trends in innovation in our field? And this is not just in pharma – it is in elderly care too, whether in terms of sensors, robotics, or other technologies for care environments.
The mindset has completely shifted. European companies no longer see China only as a market or as a source of cheap equipment – they see it as a genuine innovation hub to learn from. In fact, our two main European competitors, who do not yet operate in China, have either already visited or are coming in June, specifically to source new equipment and systems developed here.
China still lacks deep geriatric know-how – in that sense it is perhaps ten years behind France or the UK. But today it is arguably the world leader in technology for the silver economy. The investment in that space has been enormous, and what is truly impressive is that China is integrating AI into virtually every new product in the sector. That is something European operators cannot ignore.
Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up?
I want to be clear – I am not disappearing. I will remain involved in the French Healthcare Alliance in China.
But the message I really want to leave is about what made the French Healthcare Alliance a success over these six years. In the last two years alone, we organised conferences in Paris to inform on trends and market developments in China, produced a position paper – updated last year – and published numerous articles explaining the situation on the ground. And all of that was only possible because we have extraordinary volunteers and members – CEOs and senior leaders – who gave their time to create and share this knowledge.
We try, at our level, to provide genuine insight into how this market is evolving. And that insight matters, because Europe – and France in particular – needs to understand that there is an enormous amount of innovation happening here. If we fail to come and see it for ourselves, we are making a serious mistake.
