China's medical device market is now the world's third largest, behind only the US and Japan, and some predict that China may well surpass Japan within a decade. Delving beneath the surface of China's medtech industry reveals a complex and steadily maturing dynamic, and a market that may be considerably larger than estimates suggest.

By acquiring Marconi Medical Systems in a $1.1 billion deal announced in July, Philips NV tacks on volume and adds scale to its medical systems business. Strategically, however, the move is part of a continuing response to competitor GE Medical Systems' ongoing acquisition efforts, which have challenged its competitors in medical capital equipment to get bigger to keep up.