He said the company welcomes the Chinese government's recent reforms, which "make it much easier for us to get drugs to the market faster in China". Weinand said the move also adds an incentive for Bayer to conduct more comprehensive and advanced clinical research at its China Innovation Center in Beijing, which until now has only hosted early-stage research. Bayer's links with China go back a long way: The business established a presence in the country in 1882. Today, China is Bayer's largest single market in Asia, accounting for sales of more than 2.67 billion euros ($3.18 billion; £2.36 billion) in 2016. It was outlined in October by President Xi Jinping at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.