HONG KONG, March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Guo Guangchang, Chairman of Fosun International Limited (HKEX: 0656), issued a letter to its shareholders on 30 March, outlining the Company's strategic direction, accomplishments, and future plans.
Dear shareholders,
The year 2024 concluded successfully, thanks to the collective efforts of all Fosuners. Looking back on the past year, we sustained steady growth momentum and demonstrated robust resilience in the face of global economic fluctuations and market challenges. We continuously advanced our core business-focused and business streamlining strategy by divesting non-core assets and heavy assets to focus on core operations, reduce debt, and optimize our capital structure. The signed asset divestment amounted to approximately RMB17.5 billion equivalent at the group level, and approximately RMB30.0 billion equivalent at the consolidated level. In the course of asset divestment, the adjustment in the carrying value of an individual investment impacted our 2024 financial performance. Nonetheless, Fosun's overall operational fundamentals remain stable, the core businesses are under healthy development, and the industrial operation profits and operating cash flows stay healthy and stable. Looking ahead, we will further deepen our focus on core industries, leveraging our globalization and innovation capabilities to create long-term and stable value for our shareholders.
Focusing on core businesses, achieving success through "strategic advancements and exits"
Over the past few years, we have remained committed to our core business-focused and business streamlining strategy. While some companies and teams have bid farewell to the Fosun family during this period, I can assure you that we have never sold any company at a low price merely to offload assets. Their departure was not a result of hasty sale, but rather a deliberate decision made in line with our long-term strategy to sharpen focus on future development. Throughout this collaborative journey, we have consistently fostered win-win outcomes with our partners. The value achieved by these companies underscores our unwavering commitment and effective management over the years, continually driving enhancements to their intrinsic value. I am deeply grateful to the management teams who have led these outstanding companies forward, as their exceptional performance has enabled Fosun to navigate challenging environments with stability.
In 2022 and 2023, we dedicated ourselves to a business streamlining strategy that reinforced our foundation and enabled us to advance with greater agility. In 2024, we placed greater emphasis on "balanced investment and divestment, strategic advancements and exits". While remaining committed to the divestment of non-core businesses, we also prioritized the "advancement" of our core operations, thereby ensuring sustainable growth for the Company and creating greater value for our shareholders. As a result, throughout the past year, we made notable "advancements" by focusing on our core industries. In health business, Fosun Pharma increased its stake in Fosun Kairos to 100%, which specializes in the research and development ("R&D"), manufacturing and commercialization of CAR-T cell therapy. In tourism and culture business, the ULTRAMED Hainan project in Sanya was officially launched, introducing world-class water entertainment facilities to create an AI-themed resort that integrates diverse experiences. Additionally, our proposal for the privatization of FTG was approved by a majority vote of FTG shareholders, allowing FTG to accelerate development with greater flexibility.
With years of accumulation and thoughtful cultivation, we have ushered in key development opportunities for the two domestic insurance companies. The total premium income of Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance surged from RMB4,346 million in 2023 to RMB9,251 million at 2024, while Fosun United Health Insurance also experienced steady growth in premium income, and both companies achieved profitability. The continuous growth of these two companies has laid a strong foundation for Fosun's future development.
After more than 30 years of steady development, Fosun has developed strong competitive advantages across multiple sectors and has gained a profound understanding of its core capabilities. Accordingly, we will concentrate on these competitive and advantageous industries, pursuing our vision of "helping global families live in health, happiness, and wealth until the age of 121". We will focus on "deep mining", which involves prioritizing the development of our core industries, including health, tourism and culture, consumption, and insurance, thereby achieving stable profit growth in the long run.
Combining global growth momentum with global resources
Fosun is both a practitioner and beneficiary of globalization. In 2024, our overseas revenue proportion further increased to 49.3%, and the number of overseas employees accounted for nearly half of the Group's total number of employees. In the past, we proposed combining China's growth momentum with global resources. Now, I believe we should integrate global growth momentum with global resources, along with China's competitiveness. We should fully mobilize our unique advantages in efficiency, innovation, resources, and costs, and combine them with global networks and capabilities.
In terms of global expansion, all our segments achieved new breakthroughs. In health business, Fosun Pharma has evolved from adopting a "product export model" to establishing global operational capabilities that encompass the "comprehensive internationalization of research, manufacturing, and sales". Henlius has made significant strides in global market expansion. Taking the independently developed monoclonal antibody HANQUYOU as an example, it was approved for marketing in more than 50 countries and regions, and in 2024, it further expanded its commercial supply to the North American market. In insurance business, Fosun Insurance Portugal fully leveraged Fosun's "global organization + local operations" capabilities, with gross written premiums reaching approximately EUR6,172 million in 2024. Through overseas expansion, the proportion of Fosun Insurance Portugal's international business increased from less than 5% in 2014 to 29.8%. In cultural business, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival celebrated its 30th anniversary and once again gained widespread popularity during the Year of the Snake edition, significantly driving overall consumption in the Yuyuan Garden commercial district during the Spring Festival. Following its successful overseas debut in Paris, France in 2023, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival has embarked on another overseas journey in 2025. In January 2025, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival themed lantern installation made a stunning appearance in Hanoi, Vietnam, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam. This year, it will also be featured in Thailand, continuing to showcase the charm of oriental culture globally. In resources and energy business, Hainan Mining continued its international expansion, focusing on strategic resources. It successively acquired oil interests in Oman and proposed to acquire zirconium-titanium mine projects in Mozambique, thereby expanding its oil and gas business, enriching its strategic metal reserves, and broadening its profit channels.
Driving long-term development with innovation
We fully recognize that in today's fiercely competitive market, mere extensive and repetitive development is no longer adequate to overcome challenges and may easily result in the pitfalls of involution. We must enhance our competitiveness by developing core technologies through innovation to drive long-term development. Accordingly, Fosun firmly positions technology innovation as its strategic core. In 2024, the Group's total investment in technology innovation[1] reached approximately RMB6.9 billion. We have established more than 20 global technology innovation centers covering various industries and fields, continuously fostering the launch of new technologies and products.
As time passes, our innovative achievements have evolved and undergone qualitative transformations. As one of the first Hong Kong-listed "18A" pharmaceutical companies which turned to profit through product sales, Henlius built on its initial profit in 2023 and maintained strong growth in 2024. It successfully achieved sustained profitability with a net profit of RMB820 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 50.3%. In early 2025, its core product, HANSIZHUANG (European trade name: Hetronifly®), an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, was approved for marketing in the European Union. This milestone makes it the first and only PD-1 innovative drug approved for the first-line treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in the European Union. In addition, Intuitive Fosun's Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy ("Ion System") was launched in China, enabling more lung cancer patients to achieve early diagnosis and treatment in a minimally invasive manner. Furthermore, the high-end tourist train "Silk Road Express" officially commenced operations, making it the first international luxury sightseeing train in China and filling the gap in the domestic market.
Last year, I shared our perspectives on the artificial intelligence (AI) era, and we were envisioning its potential. This year, the application of AI has rapidly infiltrated various aspects of our lives, developing at a pace that far exceeds our expectation. Fosun's approach to AI is not to develop a large model by ourselves, but rather to deeply integrate AI technology into our diverse scenarios to drive innovation and enhance efficiency. For instance, Fosun Pharma launched the PharmAID decision intelligence platform, which integrates information extraction, patent insights, business forecasting, and more. With data updated at T+1, it supports accurate and efficient decision-making to accelerate and improve the drug R&D. Sisram is also exploring the use of AI for precise skin analysis and personalized skin care solutions. The ULTRAMED Hainan project is set to create the world's first AI-themed resort by utilizing AIGC technology for guest room customization. It will also introduce the digital human G.O (Gentle Organizer) service to enhance tourist experience. Regarding corporate operations and management, I encourage Fosuners to consider how to fully integrate AI into daily work comprehensively for more precise decision support and strategic assessments.
Harnessing the flywheels of "insurance + industry + investment", leveraging operational capabilities to implement the asset-light strategy
To achieve more effective resource allocation and drive sustainable value growth, we have integrated Fosun's profound industry expertise, extensive investment experience, and high-quality commercial resources with the operations and investments of insurance companies, forming a three-dimensional "insurance + industry + investment" flywheel-driven strategy. The collaborative growth of domestic and international insurance companies and Fosun's various industries has laid a strong foundation for the "insurance + industry + investment" flywheel-driven strategy that we have always advocated.
At the same time, Fosun's unique ecosystem synergy model further amplifies the flywheel effect. In 2024, we successfully implemented the "health care + insurance" ecosystem policy model, with 14,000 community health care policies sold, totaling premiums of RMB12.85 billion. Fosun Care achieved profitability for the first time, laying a solid foundation for flywheel development.
As part of our strategic direction, we made significant progress in asset-light operations in 2024. Fosun Pharma together with the Shenzhen Guidance Fund and other investors established a RMB5.0 billion biopharmaceutical industry fund to jointly promote the high-quality development of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry in the Greater Bay Area. In addition, FTG's Taicang Alps Resort Phase II project, Jinsha Bay project in Dapeng New District, Shenzhen, and other projects were signed and commenced in 2024. Objectively, given the current market environment, heavy asset investments using our core capital do not yield returns that align with capital costs. However, low-cost funds, including those from insurance, inherently require heavy asset allocations. Therefore, to bolster our asset-light operations, it is essential to strengthen cooperation with insurance institutions and others, empowering our investment and operational capabilities.
Healthy financial position, "Contribution to Society" through ESG initiatives
We adhere to a prudent financial management strategy, continuously optimizing our capital structure and financing channels to gain the trust of capital markets. During 2024, Fosun repaid a total of RMB11.1 billion equivalent matured public bonds in onshore and offshore markets. We sincerely thank both domestic and international investors, as well as financial institutions, for their continuous recognition over the years. During 2024, we successfully issued USD300 million offshore bonds and obtained a sustainability-linked syndicated loan. Looking ahead, we will continue to capitalize on favorable interest rates through meticulous management and prudent leverage control. We will remain focused on divesting non-core and non-strategic assets, reducing the Group's interest-bearing debts, and strengthening our resilience to economic cycles, striving to attain "investment grade" ratings at the earliest opportunity.
Fosun remains steadfast in its commitment to "Self-improvement, Teamwork, Performance, and Contribution to Society" and "Developing Business for Good". In 2024, we officially launched the "Create IMPACT" sustainable development strategy to closely integrate commercial value with social value. The "Rural Doctors Program" initiated by Fosun Foundation was recognized as an excellent case for sustainable development practice by the United Nations, serving as a model for enhancing primary healthcare and showcasing the international impact of Fosun's philanthropic efforts. Fosun Pharma has supplied a cumulative total of over 400 million doses of Artesun® (artesunate for injection) to the global market, saving more than 80 million severe malaria patients worldwide. Our sustainable development practices have also received recognition from international authorities, with an MSCI ESG rating maintained at AA for four consecutive years. In the future, we will continue to advance the "Create IMPACT" strategy and actively contribute to global sustainable development.
Looking ahead to 2025, despite still facing certain pressures, we have begun to see signs of recovery in the broader market, and our results have reflected this trend. During the Spring Festival, Atlantis Sanya achieved an outstanding occupancy rate of over 98%; Tuopai T68 baijiu recorded an 80% year-on-year increase in sales revenue, thanks to its superior price-to-quality proposition; our Club Med winter resorts in China and Hokkaido, Japan continued to experience strong demand throughout the peak season. These achievements reinforce our great confidence in future development.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our shareholders for your unwavering understanding and support over the past year. We are well-prepared to tackle challenges and pursue progress through "strategic advancements and exits", while continuing to deepen our development in core industries. We are confident in our ability to maintain steady development, create long-term value for our shareholders, and contribute to healthier, happier, and wealthier lives for families worldwide.
Guo Guangchang 30 March 2025
[1] It includes scientific research investment (expensed and capitalized) but excludes digitalization expenses.
