Wellpoint Inc is seeking potential partners for a health insurance joint venture it plans to set up by mid-2011 on the Chinese mainland as it taps rising demand for healthcare services, a senior executive said Monday.

But John P. Domeika, president and chief executive officer of WellPoint China, declined to shortlist potential partners but said he is confident of getting approval from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission by mid-2011.

One of every nine Americans is a member of a WellPoint affiliated health plan and the United States-based health benefits company is eyeing the Chinese market as a long term part of its strategic plans.

The company has opened WPMI (Shanghai) Enterprise Consulting and Service Co in April 2008 and has two corporate clients, Sino-Life and Taiping Life.

WPMI Shanghai, which has established a data center in the city, offers third-party consultancy services.

(Shanghai Daily January 13, 2009)