International patient numbers are rising as medical innovation, easier travel and expanding international healthcare services strengthen China’s position in cross-border care
China is emerging as an increasingly important destination for international medical travellers, with growing numbers of patients seeking treatment in the country and new therapies becoming an additional driver of cross-border healthcare.
Leading Chinese hospitals serving international patients recorded 1.28 million international patient visits in 2025, according to industry data presented at the World Trade Organization Public Forum 2026 in Geneva. This represents an increase of 73.6% compared with three years earlier.
Of those visits, around 413,000 were made by patients who travelled to China specifically to receive medical treatment.
The figures were presented by Dr. John K. Hsiang, Chairman of the Jiahui Health Executive Committee, during the “Health Without Borders” session examining opportunities and challenges in medical tourism and international trade in services.
Medical innovation becomes a reason to travel
China’s rapidly developing biomedical sector is increasingly influencing international patient flows.
One particularly significant development came in June 2026, when Chinese regulators approved satricabtagene autoleucel, or satri-cel, the world’s first CAR-T cell therapy approved for the treatment of a solid tumour.
The therapy is indicated for certain patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer and represents an important expansion of CAR-T technology, which until now has primarily been used to treat blood cancers.
For some international patients, access to treatments not yet available in their home countries is becoming a specific reason to travel to China.
A 59-year-old patient from New Zealand with advanced gastric cancer travelled more than 9,000 kilometres to Shanghai after other treatment options had become increasingly limited. Following multidisciplinary assessment at Jiahui International Cancer Center, he became the first international patient to receive the newly approved CAR-T therapy.
In another case presented at the WTO forum, a patient from the United States with advanced non-small cell lung cancer travelled to Shanghai for treatment with ivonescimab, a bispecific antibody developed in China.
International patient services expand
The development of medical tourism in China extends beyond access to new therapies. Hospitals targeting international patients are building services designed specifically for cross-border healthcare.
These include remote medical consultations before travel, multilingual patient coordination, international insurance direct billing, treatment planning and cooperation with physicians in patients’ home countries to provide continuity of care after their return.
Jiahui International Hospital recorded more than 100,000 international outpatient visits in 2025, while inquiries from overseas patients nearly doubled year on year during the first half of 2026.
Shanghai in particular is developing infrastructure for international healthcare. The city has expanded medical tourism pilot programmes involving both private and public hospitals and introduced standards specifically covering international medical services.
Easier travel supports patient mobility
Changes to China’s entry regulations are also making the country more accessible to international patients.
Expanded visa-free transit arrangements allow eligible travellers from dozens of countries to enter through designated ports without obtaining a conventional visa in advance, reducing one of the practical barriers associated with travelling internationally for medical treatment.
For patients considering complex procedures, however, medical travel involves considerably more than transportation and entry requirements. International providers increasingly need to coordinate medical records, specialist consultations, treatment schedules, insurance arrangements and follow-up care across national borders.
This is creating demand for healthcare providers capable of managing the complete international patient journey rather than individual treatment episodes.
China seeks a larger role in global medical travel
At the WTO forum, Hsiang called for greater international cooperation on medical travel and visa facilitation as well as improved access to information about new medical treatments.
He also highlighted the need for regulatory dialogue covering areas such as cross-border health data and telemedicine as international patient mobility increases.
China’s combination of expanding clinical capabilities, a rapidly developing biomedical sector and growing international patient infrastructure could further reshape medical travel patterns, particularly when treatments become available in China before they reach other markets.
For international healthcare providers, the development illustrates a broader shift in medical tourism: access to innovative therapies and specialist expertise is increasingly joining affordability as a major reason for patients to cross borders for care.
Image Credit: © AI generated illustration
