AstraZeneca to invest £11bn in China after rowing back on UK expansion

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Comfortable Cobra

AstraZeneca's £11bn China Investment: A U-Turn After a Public Row with the UK Government

British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has announced a massive investment of $15 billion (£11 billion) in China, marking a significant departure from its plans to expand in the UK. The move comes just months after the company cooled on its UK expansion plans, sparking confusion among investors and industry observers.

According to the company, the funding will be used to expand medicines manufacturing and research and development in China by 2030. This includes the construction of a $2.5 billion research hub in Beijing, which was first announced last March. The investment is expected to create thousands of jobs in China and support AstraZeneca's growth into a bigger business.

The announcement was made during Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China, his first trip to the country in eight years. Starmer hailed the deal as a major success for the UK life sciences sector, which is powered by research and development in the UK. However, the move has also raised questions about AstraZeneca's relationship with the UK government.

The company had previously paused plans for a £200 million expansion of its research site in Cambridge and pulled out of a £450 million investment at its vaccine site in Liverpool due to disagreements over drug pricing and other issues with the government. These disputes led to a deal in December, which saw AstraZeneca agree to pay more for medicines supplied by UK manufacturers.

The latest investment is seen as a major boost to AstraZeneca's presence in China, where it already has a significant presence. The company plans to expand its manufacturing facilities and research hubs across the country, creating new jobs and driving innovation in the life sciences sector.

AstraZeneca's chief executive, Pascal Soriot, described the investment as "landmark" and said that it marked the next chapter for the company in China. The funding will be used to develop breakthrough treatments such as cell therapy and radioconjugates, a more advanced form of radiotherapy that targets cancer cells specifically.

The deal is also seen as a major win for China's pharmaceutical industry, which has been seeking to increase its global presence. However, AstraZeneca's investment comes amidst controversy over the company's operations in China, where it faces investigation by Chinese authorities over allegations of unpaid import taxes and medical insurance fraud.
 
just saw this news about astra zeneca investin $15billion in china lol what happened to the uk tho 🤔 like they were already havin a public row with the gov 👀 guess they wanted more money 💸 than a u turn is even better but its also kinda sad that they had to make such drastic changes 🤷‍♂️ china's pharma industry is growin fast tho and i gotta respect that 💪
 
AstaZeneca is basically saying "we can't make it work with the UK gov but we'll just put all our eggs in the Chinese basket instead lol 😂". Like, what's going on here? They had a beef with the government over drug pricing and other stuff, but now they're all like "oh let's just invest $15 billion in China" 🤑. I'm not saying it's bad for the company or anything, but it does seem like a pretty big U-turn. And what about those employees who were affected by the initial plan to pull out of Cambridge? They must be wondering where their jobs are now 🤔. On the other hand, thousands of new jobs in China can't be bad, right? 🎉
 
😊 so its like they decided to take a detour from the UK thing that didnt work out 🚗, and now theyre all about china 🇨🇳! 15 billion bucks is a lot of cash 💸 and itll create thousands of jobs 🤝 but also some ppl are like "wait whats going on with the gov 👀" cuz remember how they had some issues with drug pricing and stuff 🤔. anyhoo, china seems to be the new hotspot 🔥 for pharma companies, and astraZeneca is right at the front of that pack 💪
 
I guess that's a u-turn for AstraZeneca lol 😂, like they're trying to find their way back after all those public rows with the UK gov 🤷‍♂️. So now they're investing £11bn in China instead? That's some serious cash 💸! I wonder what the CEO was thinking, "You know what, let's just forget about the whole UK thing and invest in a new continent" 🤔. Anyways, it's good for China's pharma industry, but also raises some eyebrows considering AstraZeneca's past issues in China 🧐. Guess you could say they're trying to turn over a new leaf... or should I say, a new hub in Beijing? 🌳
 
🤔 I'm kinda surprised they're investing more in China after all that drama with the UK gov 🤑 But at the same time, I mean, China is a massive market for pharma companies like AstraZeneca, so it makes sense on paper 💸 And Starmer's visit to China was a big deal, so maybe this is just about him trying to score some points back home 🙄 Still, I'm not entirely convinced that this investment will pay off in the long run... but hey, only time'll tell 🕰️
 
just wondering why uk gov is being so quiet about astrazeneca's new china deal 🤔... seems like they're still trying to figure out their own plans for life sciences sector 📊... meanwhile, astraZeneca is just investing big time in china 💸🇨🇳
 
I'm surprised they're pouring all this cash into China after being so chill about expanding in the UK 🤔💸 I mean, I get why they'd want to tap into that massive market, but you'd think they'd be more committed to supporting local growth first. AstraZeneca's been having some pretty public tiffs with the UK government over drug pricing and whatnot, so it's weird they're not taking a harder stance in their own backyard 🤷‍♂️ And don't even get me started on the controversy surrounding their operations in China... like, are we really okay with that? 🚫💔 I guess you could say this investment is a bit of a U-turn – who knows what's really going on behind the scenes? 😏
 
🤔 just thinking about astra zenecas move from uk to china is wild 🌎, they basically cancelled their own plans to invest here and instead chose to bank on china's massive market 💸, can't say i'm surprised tho 🙄, china's been trying to lure in big pharma companies for ages 🤝. meanwhile, the UK government was being super unreasonable about drug pricing and other stuff 🚫💉, so it's no wonder they'd switch sides 🔄. astra zeneca is all about making money 💸 and growing their business, and china offers them a huge opportunity to do just that 🌟!
 
I think this is a huge u-turn for AstraZeneca and it's clear they've reassessed their priorities 🤔. I mean, who needs the UK when you can get huge investments from China? It's like they're saying, "Sod the UK, we'll just take our research and development elsewhere" 👎. And what about all those employees in Cambridge and Liverpool who were left without jobs? Did AstraZeneca even think about them before making this deal? 🤷‍♂️ I'm not sure I agree with Prime Minister Starmer's take on this - it seems like a win-win for China, but a loss for the UK. And what's going on with those unpaid import taxes and medical insurance fraud allegations in China? That's just weird... 😬
 
omg, this is like super sus 🤔. so astra zeneca just kinda goes back on their plans to invest more in the uk and instead puts all their eggs in china 🍞️. i mean, china has been trying to get its life sciences game on for years but it's still kinda murky how they've managed to get a big pharma company like astrazeneca to commit so much cash 💸. meanwhile, the UK government is just chillin' with all this 🙃. is it cuz of those drug pricing disputes? or was it more about the chinese authorities breathing down their necks? idk, but i do know that china's got some serious game when it comes to pharmaceuticals right now 💥.
 
🤔 I'm telling you, this is all about control... AstraZeneca's sudden change of heart on investing in China instead of the UK is a pretty obvious move to keep tabs on our 'friends' across the pond 🙃. They're basically saying, "Hey, we're going to create jobs and grow the life sciences sector in China, but only if it's convenient for us." And let's not forget about that recent deal where AstraZeneca agreed to pay more for medicines supplied by UK manufacturers... that's just a way to keep the flow of cash coming in while keeping the UK government happy 😊. But what really gets me is how this whole thing seems to be happening right under our noses, with Prime Minister Starmer himself announcing it during his visit to China 🕵️‍♂️. It's like they're trying to slip something past us and make us think everything is hunky dory... but I'm not buying it 💸.
 
🤔 this is crazy, i mean £11 billion for china is a big u-turn for astraazeneca, especially after all the drama with the uk gov 🙄 they were just like "oh we dont wanna invest in the UK anymore" but now it's all about china 💸 and i wonder what the gov is thinking on this one 🤔
 
you know, when you think about a company like astraazeneca making a huge investment in china, it's like they're chasing this illusion of growth, you feel me? 🤔 on the surface, this deal seems like a major win for both parties involved, but scratch beneath and you start to see some interesting dynamics at play. like, why did they go back on their plans to expand in the uk? was it just a PR move or is there something more to it?

and what about these allegations of unpaid import taxes and medical insurance fraud? does that change our perspective on this deal? or are we just being caught up in all the hype around china's pharmaceutical industry? 🤑 i'm not saying it's bad for them, but let's not forget that with great power comes great responsibility, right? so, what's driving astraazeneca's decision-making process here?
 
I was saying earlier that this move is gonna be a game changer for AstraZeneca but I wasn't sure if they'd actually go through with it. Now I'm not saying their relationship with the UK government was all bad, but it seems like they were getting some major pushback on drug pricing and other issues 😐. I mean, I get that China's a big market for them now, but does this mean they're abandoning ship on the UK altogether? 🤔
 
So now AstraZeneca is like 'forget about the UK' 🤯 and all that drama with the government, but they're super stoked to be investing in China instead 💸. I feel like this could be a game changer for their business, especially if it comes to them developing some serious breakthrough treatments 🔬. But at the same time, there's still some weirdness around their deal with China 🤔 - all that stuff about unpaid import taxes and medical insurance fraud is kinda shady 🚫. And what's up with PM Starmer saying this is a major win for the UK life sciences sector? Like, yeah sure, but shouldn't he be talking about how AstraZeneca just left us high and dry instead of celebrating their new China gig 😒. Anyway, I guess we'll see where this all goes 💥.
 
🤣 So China just lured AstraZeneca with more free money than a Tinder date offers a free pint 🍺. I mean, who wouldn't want to leave the UK for some £11 billion in investment? It's like they say, "the grass is always greener"... or in this case, the market research hubs are always more lucrative 😂. And poor Pascal Soriot, just trying to make a name for himself as the "China Whisperer" 🤪. But seriously, it seems AstraZeneca has made some smart moves, especially with all that investment in new meds and jobs for China. I guess you could say they're finally getting their "Zenchina" 💸... sorry, had to 😜.
 
Just read that AstraZeneca is investing 11 billion pounds in china 🤯 I'm not surprised though, they already had a presence there. But I do think it's interesting that they're pulling out of the UK for now. I mean, it's like they're saying "screw the UK government and its weird rules". It's not entirely clear to me why they're making this move, but maybe it's because china is just more welcoming to big pharma? Anyway, I think it's gonna be super interesting to see how this all plays out in the next few years 🤔
 
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