China supports manufacturing plant for glucometers, biosensors, and other diagnostic equipment

On 22 July, 2014, China and Cuba jointly held the inauguration ceremony of a new manufacturing plant for biosensors, which measure the level of glucose in a diabetes patient’s blood, in Havana. The plant, attached to the Cuban Immunoassay Center (CIE), will allow for the distribution of sensors to some 800,000 known diabetics in the country. The modern facility’s creation came as a result of a government decision to make this type of equipment available to patients to support better management of the disease with regular measurement of glucose in the blood via a simple procedure, which the patient can perform personally. The plant will be managed in cooperation with the SinoCare, which is a Chinese company owned by the global investment firm, KKR. This plant is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of biotechnology signed in 2004, although it is unclear what form Chinese financing took.

Additional details

According to one source, this plant didn't materialize, but the Chinese Embassy website definitely specifies an inauguration ceremony (See: China-Cuba Relations: Assessing US Stakes). This source also claims this project is a joint venture.

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