The Shanghai Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone recently welcomed its first large-scale international business event, marking a significant milestone for the newly established zone.
QuidelOrtho, one of the world's largest vitro diagnostics providers with over 80 years of industry experience, chose the cooperation zone as the venue for its 2026 Greater Asia-Pacific Annual Meeting.
About 900 attendees, including more than 400 international employees from 11 countries, experienced a "seamless, worry-free" cross-border travel experience. Bryan Hanson, QuidelOrtho's senior vice president of global business, made it from his flight to his hotel in roughly 25 minutes.
After pre-registering 48 hours in advance through the cooperation zone's Integrated Information Management and Service Platform, overseas participants entered the zone smoothly with only a valid invitation filing certificate and their passport—no Chinese visa required. Customs clearance procedures for accompanied baggage were also significantly more streamlined than standard entry processes.
Multilingual support, cross-border payment services, departure tax refund counters, and internationally benchmarked medical services are already fully operational within the zone, addressing the full spectrum of cross-border business travel needs.
Upon departure, the cooperation zone's innovative dual-track service, combining on-site check-in and appointment-based assistance, enables participants to proceed directly from the in-zone check-in counter to their departure gate, achieving one-stop smooth transit.
Lee Bowman, chief human resources officer of QuidelOrtho, said that the entry and exit procedures are incredibly convenient and it is the first time he has encountered such a well-designed facilitation zone.
According to an official from the Cooperation Zone Administration, further functional facilities and initiatives will be rolled out. Construction has already begun on four plots within the zone, set to house professional exhibition functions, an overseas expansion service base, and a technology R&D center. Additionally, the zone is actively advancing the development of a global medical device display, training, trade and innovation center. More such functional platforms are expected in the future.
