The Phase III new building of Siemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd (SSMR) was officially inaugurated on Friday in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

SSMR has become the second biggest research and manufacturing center after MRI headquarters in Germany.

"The inauguration of the new building is strong proof of Siemens taking root in China," says Bernd Ohnesorge, president and chief executive officer of Siemens Healthcare MR business unit.

A new 3Tesla MRI system MAGNETOM Spectra was introduced to the Chinese market on the same day.

The expansion of R&D and the production capabilities of SSMR will help to increase the company's presence in the fast-growing market, he says.

"With this major expansion, we will be doubling SSMR's R&D and production capacity to lay the foundation for our success until 2020."

Bernd Montag, CEO of Imaging and Therapy System, Siemens Healthcare, says that the new R&D base will fill in a gap in Shenzhen.

"I believe more Siemens products will come from here to serve residents in Shenzhen and China," he says.

Gao Guohui, deputy secretary general of Shenzhen government, says that Siemens has made substantial progress in Shenzhen in the past 10 years.

"We appreciate Siemens' investment in Shenzhen and its efforts."

Gao says the alliance between Siemens and Shenzhen will be a win-win cooperation.

Zhao Zilin, executive vice-chairman of China Association of Medical Equipment, says that the devices provided by Siemens have greatly improved the general healthcare industry in China. The company has also set a good example for domestic enterprises.

"There can be more potential between Siemens and China, a key market for healthcare," says Zhao.