China ranked third in a new global index measuring competitiveness in AI for biotechnology, healthcare and longevity, as the race to apply AI moves from chatbots and general-purpose models into regulated, data-heavy industries such as drug discovery, diagnostics and preventive medicine.

The latest edition of the Global AI Competitiveness Index, released on Monday by Deep Knowledge Group, a consortium focused on deep-tech research, analytics and investment, ranked China behind only the US and UK in its country-level listing with a score of 85.3, which reflects “major scale in AI, biotechnology and talent”, followed by Switzerland and Germany.

China’s National Health Commission and four other agencies, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission, rolled out a plan late last year to accelerate AI adoption across the healthcare sector.

Under the plan, China will push for AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment in its primary-level institutions – hospitals and clinics distributed across localities that mainly provide primary care – by 2030, a goal that would effectively make AI-enabled healthcare available nationwide.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong placed third among 20 city-level innovation hubs, behind Boston and San Francisco but ahead of London and New York City. The report said the city’s strengths lie in capital-market access, institutional credibility, governed deployment conditions and its strengthening interface with the Greater Bay Area.

Hong Kong’s 2025 Policy Address framed AI-enabled healthcare less as a stand-alone software opportunity than as part of a wider life-sciences infrastructure push.