China’s five-year plans have long served as the signal of where policy support, industrial investment and innovation priorities are heading. The 15th Five-Year Plan (FYP) (2026-2030) is no exception. For medtech companies, it provides an early view of the technologies, healthcare priorities and market dynamics that are likely to shape the industry’s next phase of growth.
The plan elevates healthcare technology within China’s national innovation agenda, with advanced medical devices and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) among its emerging-industry priorities, while also highlighting life sciences, brain science and major-disease research as frontier technology domains. At the same time, it reinforces broader themes that will influence the operating environment for medtech companies, including artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, localization, pricing, healthcare access expansion, reimbursement and international collaboration.
In this Insight, L.E.K. Consulting synthesizes the emerging implications of the 15th FYP for medtech companies operating in China. We explore where policy momentum is likely to concentrate, how emerging technologies such as AI and BCI are progressing from research to commercialization and what strategic questions leaders should be asking as the industry enters a new phase of development.
For medtech executives, investors and strategy teams, the 15th FYP is more than a policy document — it is a roadmap to future growth opportunities and competitive advantage in one of the world’s most important healthcare markets.
Download the full Insight to explore the priorities, opportunities and strategic implications shaping China’s medtech sector over the next five years.