SUZHOU, China – Venture investing in China's life sciences industry continued a three-year upswing in 2013, according to speakers at the Chinabio Partnering Forum, with more than $1 billion in publicly disclosed deals last year. Cynics might correctly argue the amount represents just a fraction of the annual R&D budget of a single large pharma. Still, the steady rise in venture capital (VC) – much of it homegrown – represents another key indicator that China is building a sustainable life sciences ecosystem.