Sinovac Biotech (SVA) 20-F 11 May 18 2017 FY Annual report (foreign) Financial data

Document And Entity Information

Document And Entity Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017shares
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	20-F
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Registrant Name	SINOVAC BIOTECH LTD
Entity Central Index Key	1,084,201
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Trading Symbol	SVA
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	57,281,861

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 114,415	$ 62,434
Restricted cash (note 4)	1,549	3,007
Accounts receivable - net (notes 5)	66,205	49,832
Inventories (note 6)	19,618	14,102
Prepaid expenses and deposits (including prepaid expenses to related party of 2017 - $366, 2016 - $343) (note 11 (b))	2,101	1,372
Total current assets	203,888	130,747
Property, plant and equipment (notes 8)	76,430	66,882
Prepaid land lease payments (notes 9)	9,028	8,697
Long-term inventories (note 7)	0	98
Long-term prepaid expenses (including prepaid expenses to related party of 2017 - $25, 2016 - $23) (note 11(b))	25	23
Prepayments for acquisition of equipment	528	964
Deferred tax assets (note 13)	9,320	3,944
Total assets	299,219	211,355
Current liabilities
Short-term bank loans (note 10)	18,152	31,279
Loan from a non-controlling shareholder (note 11 (a))	0	2,304
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 12)	59,418	24,960
Income tax payable	8,862	3,178
Deferred revenue (note 14)	4,073	2,766
Deferred government grants (note 15)	2,038	1,777
Total current liabilities	92,543	66,264
Deferred government grants (note 15)	4,474	2,953
Long-term bank loans (note 10)	14,849	9,448
Deferred revenue (note 14)	0	89
Loan from a non-controlling shareholder (note 11 (a))	7,070	0
Other non-current liabilities (note 13)	3,143	2,935
Total long-term liabilities	29,536	15,425
Total liabilities	122,079	81,689
Commitments and contingencies (notes 16 and 23)
EQUITY
Preferred stock Authorized 50,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 each Issued and outstanding: nil	0	0
Common stock (note 17) Authorized: 100,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 each Issued and outstanding: 57,281,861 (2016 -57,011,761)	57	57
Additional paid-in capital	115,339	112,668
Accumulated other comprehensive income	7,075	168
Statutory surplus reserves (note 19)	19,549	14,788
Accumulated earnings (deficit)	9,132	(11,914)
Total shareholders' equity	151,152	115,767
Non-controlling interests (note 20)	25,988	13,899
Total equity	177,140	129,666
Total liabilities and equity	$ 299,219	$ 211,355

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Prepaid Expense To Related Party Current	$ 366	$ 343
Prepaid Expense To Related Party Noncurrent	$ 25	$ 23
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued	0	0
Preferred Stock, Shares Outstanding	0	0
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common Stock, Shares, Issued	57,281,861	57,011,761
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	57,281,861	57,011,761

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Sales (note 22)	$ 174,346	$ 72,431	$ 67,414
Cost of sales	20,240	22,393	18,408
Gross profit	154,106	50,038	49,006
Selling, general and administrative expenses (including rent expenses incurred to related party of 2017 - $793, 2016 - $807, 2015 - $852) (note 11(b))	87,365	41,980	37,481
Provision (recovery) for doubtful accounts	934	1,412	(49)
Research and development expenses	20,489	12,648	9,490
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment (note 8)	42	478	26
Government grants recognized in income	(141)	(6,984)	(1,637)
Total operating expenses	108,689	49,534	45,311
Operating income	45,417	504	3,695
Interest and financing expenses - (including interest expenses incurred to related party, 2017 - $262, 2016 - $176, 2015 - $183) (note 11(a))	(1,569)	(1,729)	(1,920)
Interest income	1,183	731	1,155
Other income (expenses), net	13	100	(174)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	45,044	(394)	2,756
Income tax expense (note 13)	(8,339)	(2,664)	(2,985)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	36,705	(3,058)	(229)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax of nil (note 3)	0	2,338	(728)
Net income (loss)	36,705	(720)	(957)
Less: (Income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests	(10,898)	124	(459)
Net income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac	25,807	(596)	(1,416)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	36,705	(3,058)	(229)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations	0	2,338	(728)
Comprehensive income (loss)	44,803	(9,563)	(5,342)
Less: comprehensive (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests	(12,089)	953	82
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac	$ 32,714	$ (8,610)	$ (5,260)
Basic net income (loss) per share:
Continuing operations	$ 0.45	$ (0.05)	$ (0.02)
Discontinued operations	0	0.04	(0.01)
Basic net income (loss) per share	0.45	(0.01)	(0.03)
Diluted net income (loss) per share:
Continuing operations	0.45	(0.05)	(0.02)
Discontinued operations	0	0.04	(0.01)
Diluted net income (loss) per share	$ 0.45	$ (0.01)	$ (0.03)
Weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding
- Basic	57,033,816	56,949,083	56,313,927
- Diluted	57,101,191	56,949,083	56,313,927
Continuing Operations [Member]
Foreign currency translation adjustments	$ 8,098	$ (8,843)	$ (4,047)
Comprehensive income (loss)	44,803	(11,901)	(4,276)
Discontinued Operations [Member]
Foreign currency translation adjustments	0	0	(338)
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ 0	$ 2,338	$ (1,066)

Consolidated Statements of Com5

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Rent Expenses Incurred To Related Party	$ 793	$ 807	$ 852
Interest Expense, Related Party	262	176	183
Discontinued Operations [Member]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Tax	0	0	0
Continuing Operations [Member]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Tax	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Consolidated Statements of Shar

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]	Statutory Surplus Reserves [Member]	Accumulated (deficit) earnings [Member]	Stockholders' Equity, Total [Member]	Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$ 140,145	$ 56	$ 108,243	$ 12,026	$ 12,627	$ (7,741)	$ 125,211	$ 14,934
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2014		55,809,661
Share-based compensation (note 18)	952	$ 0	952	0	0	0	952	0
Exercise of stock options (note 17)	732	$ 0	732	0	0	0	732	0
Exercise of stock options (note 17) (in shares)		367,900
Subscriptions received (note 17)	18	$ 0	18	0	0	0	18	0
2015 restricted shares issued (note 17)	0	$ 1	(1)	0	0	0	0	0
2015 restricted shares issued (note 17) (in shares)		729,000
Other comprehensive income (loss)
- Other comprehensive income loss attributable to non-controlling interests	(541)	$ 0	0	0	0	0	0	(541)
- Other comprehensive income loss attributable to shareholders	(3,844)	0	0	(3,844)	0	0	(3,844)	0
Net income loss for the year
-Net income loss attributable to non-controlling interests	459	0	0	0	0	0	0	459
- Net income loss attributable to shareholders of Sinovac	(1,416)	0	0	0	0	(1,416)	(1,416)	0
- Transfer to statutory surplus reserves (note 19)	0	0	0	0	823	(823)	0	0
Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	136,505	$ 57	109,944	8,182	13,450	(9,980)	121,653	14,852
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2015		56,906,561
Share-based compensation (note 18)	2,409	$ 0	2,409	0	0	0	2,409	0
Exercise of stock options (note 17)	315	$ 0	315	0	0	0	315	0
Exercise of stock options (note 17) (in shares)		120,000
Cancellation of outstanding shares (note 17)	0	$ 0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cancellation of outstanding shares (note 17) (in shares)		(14,800)
Other comprehensive income (loss)
- Other comprehensive income loss attributable to non-controlling interests	(829)	$ 0	0	0	0	0	0	(829)
- Other comprehensive income loss attributable to shareholders	(8,014)	0	0	(8,014)	0	0	(8,014)	0
Net income loss for the year
-Net income loss attributable to non-controlling interests	(124)	0	0	0	0	0	0	(124)
- Net income loss attributable to shareholders of Sinovac	(596)	0	0	0	0	(596)	(596)	0
- Transfer to statutory surplus reserves (note 19)		0	0	0	1,338	(1,338)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 129,666	$ 57	112,668	168	14,788	(11,914)	115,767	13,899
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2016	57,011,761	57,011,761
Share-based compensation (note 18)	$ 979	$ 0	979	0	0	0	979	0
Exercise of stock options (note 17)	1,264	$ 0	1,264	0	0	0	1,264	0
Exercise of stock options (note 17) (in shares)		270,100
Subscriptions received (note 17)	428	$ 0	428	0	0	0	428	0
Other comprehensive income (loss)
- Other comprehensive income loss attributable to non-controlling interests	1,191	0	0	0	0	0	0	1,191
- Other comprehensive income loss attributable to shareholders	6,907	0	0	6,907	0	0	6,907	0
Net income loss for the year
-Net income loss attributable to non-controlling interests	10,898	0	0	0	0	0	0	10,898
- Net income loss attributable to shareholders of Sinovac	25,807	0	0	0	0	25,807	25,807	0
- Transfer to statutory surplus reserves (note 19)		0	0	0	4,761	(4,761)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 177,140	$ 57	$ 115,339	$ 7,075	$ 19,549	$ 9,132	$ 151,152	$ 25,988
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017	57,281,861	57,281,861

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities
Income (loss) from continuing operations	$ 36,705	$ (3,058)	$ (229)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
- Deferred income taxes (note 13)	(4,921)	(1,007)	(333)
- Share-based compensation (note 18)	979	2,409	952
- Inventory provision (note 6)	1,231	6,377	1,820
- Provision (recovery) for doubtful accounts	934	1,412	(49)
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment (note 8)	42	478	26
- Depreciation of property, plant and equipment and amortization of licenses (note 8)	4,638	5,063	6,258
- Amortization of prepaid land lease payments (note 9)	243	247	261
- Government grants recognized in income	(141)	(6,984)	(1,637)
- Accretion expenses	0	0	120
Changes in:
- Accounts receivable	(13,482)	(15,122)	41
- Inventories	(5,531)	(3,025)	28
- Income tax payable	4,948	1,720	576
- Prepaid expenses and deposits	(622)	(436)	434
- Deferred revenue	987	(4,959)	(3,639)
- Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	33,416	2,739	(298)
- Other non-current liabilities	330	339	779
- Restricted cash	1,598	(1,557)	(1,677)
- Time deposits	0	0	1,500
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities from continuing operations	61,354	(15,364)	4,933
Net cash used in operating activities from discontinued operations	0	(95)	(722)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	61,354	(15,459)	4,211
Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities
- Proceeds from bank loans	28,636	45,462	21,312
- Repayments of bank loans	(38,708)	(24,850)	(46,786)
- Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of share issuance costs	1,264	315	732
- Proceeds from shares subscribed	428	0	18
- Government grants received (note 15)	2,598	6,857	544
- Loan from a non-controlling shareholder (note 11(a))	4,440	0	0
- Repayment of loan from a non-controlling shareholder	0	0	(16)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(1,342)	27,784	(24,196)
Cash flows used in investing activities
- Proceeds from disposal of equipment	19	26	81
- Acquisition of property, plant and equipment	(11,915)	(12,654)	(5,299)
- Net proceeds from disposal of subsidiary	0	861	801
Net cash used in investing activities from continuing operations	(11,896)	(11,767)	(4,417)
Net cash used in investing activities from discontinued operations	0	(9)	(98)
Net cash used in investing activities	(11,896)	(11,776)	(4,515)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents, including cash classified within current assets held for sale	3,865	(2,092)	(1,541)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents, including cash from discontinued operation	51,981	(1,543)	(26,041)
Less: Net decrease in cash from discontinued operation	0	(143)	(82)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	51,981	(1,400)	(25,959)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year	62,434	63,834	89,793
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	114,415	62,434	63,834
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest	1,325	1,662	1,722
Cash paid for income taxes	$ 7,909	$ 1,885	$ 2,058

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]	1. Basis of Presentation These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”). They include the accounts of Sinovac Biotech Ltd., which is incorporated under the laws of Antigua and Barbuda, and its wholly owned or controlled subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”). All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated. Details of the Company’s subsidiaries are as follows: Place of incorporation Percentage of Date of (or ownership as Percentage of incorporation or establishment) of December ownership as of Name establishment /operation 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 Principal activities Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Ltd. (“Sinovac Hong Kong”) October 2008 Hong Kong 100 % 100 % Investment holding company Sinovac Biotech Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac Beijing”) (note 20) April 2001 People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) 73.09 % 73.09 % Research and development, production and sales of vaccine products Sinovac Research & Development Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac R&D”) May 2009 PRC 100 % 100 % Research and development of vaccine products Sinovac (Dalian) Vaccine Technology Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac Dalian”) (note 20) January 2010 PRC 67.86 % 67.86 % Research and development, production and sales of vaccine products Sinovac Biomed Co., Ltd. April 2015 PRC 100 % 100 % Distribution of vaccine products

Significant Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	2. Significant Accounting Policies (a) Use of Estimates In preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates made by management include: provision for product returns, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory provisions, useful lives of amortizable intangible assets, impairment of long-lived assets, fair value of options granted and related forfeiture rates, and realizability of deferred tax assets. On an ongoing basis, management reviews its estimates to ensure that these estimates appropriately reflect changes in the Company’s business and new information as it becomes available. If historical experience and other factors used by management to make these estimates do not reasonably reflect future activity, the Company’s consolidated financial statements could be materially impacted. (b) Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to cash generally with maturities of three months or less when purchased. (c) Restricted Cash Restricted cash is cash held as collateral for transactions and a certain loan the Company has entered into. (d) Accounts Receivable The Company extends unsecured credit to its customers in the ordinary course of business and actively pursues past due accounts. The Company estimates an allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, credit quality of the Company’s customers, current economic conditions and other factors that may affect its customers’ ability to pay. (e) Inventories Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The cost of work in progress and finished goods is determined on a weighted-average cost basis and includes direct material, direct labor and overhead costs. Net realizable value represents the anticipated selling price, net of distribution cost, less estimated costs to completion for work in progress. (f) Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Significant additions and improvements are capitalized, while repairs and maintenance are charged to expenses as incurred. Equipment purchased for specific research and development projects with no alternative uses are expensed. Assets under construction are not depreciated until construction is completed and the assets are ready for their intended use. Gains and losses from the disposal of property, plant and equipment are recorded in gain or loss on disposal and impairment of property, plant and equipment included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). Plant and buildings 10 24 Machinery and equipment 8 10 Motor vehicles 4 5 Office equipment and furniture 3 5 Leasehold improvements Lesser of useful lives and term of lease (g) Prepaid Land Lease Payments Prepaid land lease payments represent amounts paid for the rights to use land in the PRC and is recorded at purchased cost less accumulated amortization. Amortization is provided on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease agreement, which ranges from 28 49 (h) Licenses The Company capitalizes the patent payment and the purchased cost of vaccines if the vaccine has received a new drug certificate from the China Food and Drug Administration (“CFDA”) of China. If the vaccine has not received a new drug certificate, the purchase cost is expensed as in-process research and development. Licenses in relation to the production and sales of pharmaceutical products are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective useful lives. Costs incurred to renew or extend the term of licenses are capitalized and amortized over the license’s useful life on a straight-line basis. (i) Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Long-lived assets including intangible assets subject to amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset group may not be recoverable from the future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. An asset group is identified as assets at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets. If the asset group is not fully recoverable, an impairment loss would be recognized for the difference between the carrying value of the asset group and its estimated fair value, based on the discounted net future cash flows or other appropriate methods, such as comparable market values. The Company uses estimates and judgments in its impairment tests and if different estimates or judgment had been utilized, the timing or the amount of any impairment charges could be materially different. (j) Income Taxes The Company follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined based on the temporary differences between the carrying values and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates and laws. In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17 (“ASU 2015-17”), Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, simplifying the presentation of deferred income taxes, where deferred tax liabilities and assets are to be classified as non-current in a classified statement of financial position. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2017 using the retrospective method. As a result deferred tax assets of $ 3,492 The tax benefit from an uncertain tax position is recognized only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination by the appropriate taxing authority, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized from such a position are measured based on the amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. The Company recognizes a change in available facts after the reporting date but before issuance of the financial statements in the period when the change in facts occur, even if that new information provides a better estimate of the ultimate outcome of an uncertainty. Liabilities associated with uncertain tax positions are classified as long-term unless expected to be paid within one year. Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions, if any, are recorded in the provision for income taxes and classified with the related liability on the consolidated balance sheets. (k) Value-added Taxes Value-added taxes (“VAT”) collected from customers relating to product sales and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis. VAT collected from customers is excluded from revenue. (l) Revenue Recognition Revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the price is fixed and determinable, delivery has occurred and there is a reasonable assurance of collection of the sales proceeds. The Company generally obtains purchase authorizations from its customers for a specified amount of products at a specified price and considers delivery to have occurred when the customer takes title of the products. The Company provides certain customers with a right of return. Revenue for inactivated hepatitis A, combined inactivated hepatitis A&B, seasonal influenza and enterovirus 71 vaccines are recognized when delivery has occurred and the Company can reasonably estimates return provision for these products. The product return provisions for inactivated hepatitis A vaccine and combined inactivated hepatitis A&B vaccine are estimated based on historical return and exchange data as well as the inventory levels and the remaining shelf lives of the products in the distribution channels. The Company started selling enterovirus 71 vaccines in 2016 . of $ 8,074 and $ 5,901 $ 0.10 0.10 As of December 31, 2017, sales return provision for inactivated hepatitis A vaccine, combined inactivated hepatitis A&B vaccine and enterovirus 71 vaccine was $ 4,672 5,039 3.1 10.9 263 533 Revenue for mumps vaccines without a right of return provided to customers is recognized when delivery has occurred. Revenue for mumps vaccines with a right of return provided to customers is recognized when payments are collected from customers. Deferred revenue is generally related to government stockpiling programs and advances received from customers. For government stockpiling programs of H5N1 vaccines, the Company generally obtains purchase authorizations from the government for a specified amount of products at a specified price and no rights of return are provided. Revenue is recognized when the government takes delivery of the products. If the products expire prior to delivery, these expired products are recognized as revenue once cash is received and the products have expired and passed government inspection. (m) Shipping and Handling Shipping and handling fees billed to customers are included in sales. Costs related to shipping and handling are recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). For the year ended December 31, 2017, $ 5,759 1,654 1,389 (n) Advertising Expenses Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Advertising costs were $ 4,007 3,336 2,777 (o) Research and Development Research and development ("R&D") costs are expensed as incurred and are disclosed as a separate line item in the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). R&D costs consist primarily of the remuneration of R&D staff, depreciation, material, clinical trial costs as well as amortization of acquired technology and know-how used in R&D with alternative future uses. R&D costs also include costs associated with collaborative R&D and in-licensing arrangements, including upfront fees paid to collaboration partners in connection with technologies which have not reached technological feasibility and did not have an alternative future use. Reimbursement of R&D costs for arrangements with collaboration partners is recognized when the obligations are incurred. Under certain R&D arrangements with third parties, the Company may be required to make payments that are contingent on the achievement of specific development, regulatory and/or commercial milestones. Before a product receives regulatory approval, license fees and milestone payments made to third parties are expensed as incurred. License fees and milestone payments made to third parties after regulatory approval is received are capitalized and amortized over the remaining life of the agreement with third parties. (p) Government Grants Government grants received from the PRC government by the PRC operating subsidiaries of the Company are recognized when there is reasonable assurance that the amount is receivable and all the conditions specified in the grant have been met. Government grants for R&D are recognized as a reduction to R&D expenses when the expenses are incurred in the same period when the conditions attached to the grants are met, or recognized as government grants recognized in income in the period when the conditions are met after the expenses are incurred. Government grants for property, plant and equipment are deferred and recognized as a reduction to the related depreciation and amortization expenses in the same manner as the property, plant and equipment are depreciated. Interest subsidies are recorded as a reduction to interest and financing expenses in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss), or recorded as a reduction to interest capitalized if the subsidies granted are related to a specific borrowing associated with building a qualifying asset. For government loans received at below market interest rate, the difference between the face value of the loan and fair value using the effective interest rate method is recorded as deferred government grants. Accretion expense is recorded in interest and financing expense and the government grant will be recognized as “government grants recognized in income” in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) when the government loan is fully repaid. (q) Retirement and Other Post-retirement Benefits Full-time employees of the Company in the PRC participate in a government mandated defined contribution plan pursuant to which certain pension benefits, medical care, unemployment insurance, employee housing fund and other welfare benefits are provided to employees. Chinese labor regulations require that the Company makes contributions to the government for these benefits based on certain percentages of the employees’ salaries. The Company has no legal obligation for the benefits beyond the contributions. Total amounts for such employee benefits, which were expensed as incurred was $ 6,197 5,473 5,126 (r) Foreign Currency Translation and Transactions The Company maintains their accounting records in their functional currencies, U.S. dollars (“US$”) for the Company and Sinovac Hong Kong and Renminbi Yuan (“RMB”) for the PRC subsidiaries. The Company uses the US$ as its reporting currency. At the transaction date, each asset, liability, revenue and expense is re-measured into the functional currency by the use of the exchange rate in effect at that date. At each period end, foreign currency monetary assets, and liabilities are re-measured into the functional currency by using the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date. The resulting foreign exchange gains and losses are included in selling, general and administrative expenses. The Company recognized foreign exchange gain of $ 1,323 942 865 Assets and liabilities of the PRC subsidiaries, Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac R&D, Sinovac Dalian and Sinovac Biomed are translated into US$ at the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at average exchange rates. Gains and losses from such translations are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income, a component of shareholders’ equity. Gain on intra-entity foreign currency transactions that are of a long-term-investment nature was $ 336 (s) Share-based Compensation Compensation expense for costs related to all share-based payments, including grants of stock options, is recognized through a fair-value based method. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the grant date fair value for stock options. The Company uses the grant date stock price to determine the grant date fair value of restricted shares. The Company has elected to recognize share-based compensation costs using the straight-line method over the requisite service period with a graded vesting schedule, provided that the amount of compensation costs recognized at any date is at least equal to the portion of the grant date value of the awards that are vested at that date. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from initial estimates. Share based compensation costs are recorded net of estimated forfeitures such that expense is recorded only for those awards that are expected to vest. (t) Comprehensive Income (loss) The Company’s comprehensive income (loss) consists of net income (loss) and foreign currency translation adjustments. (u) Earnings (loss) Per Share Earnings (loss) per share is calculated in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 260 Earnings per Share (v) Operating Leases Leases are classified as capital and operating depending on the terms and conditions of the lease agreement. Leases that transfer substantially all the benefits and risks incidental to ownership of assets are accounted for as if there was an acquisition of an asset and incurrence of an obligation at the inception of the lease. All other leases are accounted for as operating leases where rental payments are expensed as incurred. There are no capital leases for the periods presented. (w) Fair Value Measurements Assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements are required to be disclosed within a specified fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy ranks the quality and reliability of inputs, or assumptions, used in the determination of fair value and requires assets and liabilities carried at fair value to be classified and disclosed in one of the following categories based on the lowest level input used that is significant to a particular fair value measurement: · Level 1 — Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. · Level 2 — Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active. · Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not have any financial assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The carrying values of cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and short-term bank loans and the current portion of long-term debt approximate their fair value because of their short-term nature. The fair values of long-term bank loans and other debt are estimated based on the discounted value of future contractual cash flows which approximates their carrying value due to the fact they are predominately stated at variable rates based on the People’s Bank of China. Fair value of the long-term bank loans and other debt are determined based on level 2 inputs. The Company measures property, plant and equipment at fair value on a non-recurring basis only if an impairment charge were to be recognized. There were no non-recurring fair value measurements for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. (x) Concentration of Risks Exchange Rate Risks The Company operates in China, which may give rise to significant foreign currency risks from fluctuations and the degree of volatility of foreign exchange rates between the US$ and the RMB. In 2017, foreign exchange gain of $ 1,323 942 865 103,370 673 47,234 328 Currency Convertibility Risks Substantially all of the Company’s operating activities are transacted in RMB, which is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. All foreign exchange transactions take place either through the People’s Bank of China or other banks authorized to buy and sell foreign currencies at the exchange rates quoted by the People’s Bank of China. Approval of foreign currency payments by the People’s Bank of China or other regulatory institutions requires submitting a payment application form together with other information such as suppliers’ invoices, shipping documents and signed contracts. Concentration of Credit Risks Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risks consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and accounts receivable, the balances of which are stated on the consolidated balance sheets which represent the Company’s maximum exposure. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in good credit quality financial institutions in Hong Kong and China. Concentration of credit risks with respect to accounts receivables is linked to the concentration of revenue. The Company’s customers are mainly various government agencies in China. For the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, no single customer of the Company accounted for more than 10% of total sales, and one of the Company’s customers accounted for 14% of the Company’s total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015. To manage credit risk, the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of customers’ financial condition. Interest Rate Risks The Company is subject to interest rate risk. Other than loans from a non-controlling shareholder of $ 7,070 (y) Recently Issued Accounting Standards In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09 (“ASU 2014-09”), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), where a single, global revenue recognition model applies to most contracts with customers. Revenue will be recognized in a manner that depicts the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled, subject to certain limitations. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, where the effective date of ASU 2014-09 was extended to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. Subsequent to the issuance of ASU 2014-09, the FASB has issued several accounting standard updates such as ASU 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, and ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients among others. These ASUs do not change the core principle of the guidance stated in ASU 2014-09, instead these amendments are intended to clarify and improve operability of certain topics included within the revenue standard. These ASUs will have the same effective date and transition requirements as ASU 2014-09. The Company will adopt the new standard since January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method. The Company has completed the assessment and implementation work. Based on the work performed, the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements or the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01 (“ASU 2016-01”), Financial Instruments. ASU 2016-01 requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset on the balance sheet or in the accompanying notes to the financial statements. That presentation provides financial statement users with more decision-useful information about an entity’s involvement in financial instruments. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements of adopting this standard. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (“ASU 2016-02”), Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements of adopting this standard. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18 (“ASU 2016-18”), Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash. ASU 2016-18 requires amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning –of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-18 on January 1, 2018, and does not expect the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Discontinued Operations

Discontinued Operations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Disclosure [Text Block]	3. Discontinued Operations In December 2015, the Company committed to a plan to sell 100 1,872 13 The transaction represents a strategic shift that the Company was exiting the animal vaccine market and will focus on the human use vaccine market, which will have a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results going forward. As such, the financial results of Tangshan Yian and the gain on disposition are reported within discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial statements and amounts previously reported have been reclassified, as necessary, to conform to this presentation in accordance with ASC 2 0 926 5.97 2,461 2,016 13 1,706 11 310 2 1,880 1,435 For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Sales $ - $ - $ 112 Cost of sales - - 406 Gross loss - - (294) Selling, general and administrative expenses - 129 459 Research and development expenses - - 22 Total operating expenses - 129 481 Operating loss - (129) (775) Other income - 6 47 Loss from discontinued operations before gain on disposition and provision for income taxes - (123) (728) Gain on disposal of Tangshan Yian - 2,461 - Provision for income taxes - - - Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income tax $ - $ 2,338 $ (728) Income from discontinued operations, net of income tax, for the year ended December 31, 2016 included the results of Tangshan Yian through the disposition date of February 28, 2016.

Restricted Cash

Restricted Cash	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Restricted Cash [Text Block]	4. Restricted Cash 1,549 3,007 781 768 December 31, 2017 2016 Restricted Cash $ 1,549 $ 3,007

Accounts Receivable - net

Accounts Receivable - net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Loans and Leases Receivable Disclosure [Abstract]
Loans, Notes, Trade and Other Receivables Disclosure [Text Block]	5. Accounts Receivable – net December 31, 2017 2016 Trade receivables $ 69,448 $ 52,061 Allowance for doubtful accounts (4,779) (3,603) 64,669 48,458 Other receivables 1,536 1,374 Total accounts receivable $ 66,205 $ 49,832 Accounts receivables with a carrying value of $ 5,379 35 The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects the Company’s best estimate of probable losses inherent in the accounts receivable balance. The Company estimates the allowance based on known troubled accounts, historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, credit quality of the Company’s customers, current economic conditions, and other factors that may affect customers’ ability to pay. As of December 31, 2017, the Company provided 100 100 94.6 84.8 68.5 59.1 15.3 20.5 1.2 1.4 December 31, 2017 2016 Aging within one year, net of allowance for doubtful accounts $ 58,157 $ 45,340 Aging greater than one year, net of allowance for doubtful accounts 6,512 3,118 Total trade receivables $ 64,669 $ 48,458

Inventories

Inventories	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventory Disclosure Excluding Noncurrent Inventory [Text Block]	6. Inventories December 31, 2017 2016 Raw materials $ 3,298 $ 2,251 Work in progress 3,275 1,387 Finished goods 13,045 10,464 Total inventories $ 19,618 $ 14,102 For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company charged $ 2,757 3,232 2,154 For the year ended December 31, 2017, cost of sales includes $ 1,231 6,377 1,820

Long-term Inventories

Long-term Inventories	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Long Term Inventories Disclosure [Abstract]
Long Term Inventories Disclosure [Text Block]	7. Long-term Inventories December 31, 2017 2016 Finished goods - 98 Long-term inventories represent H5N1 vaccines with remaining shelf lives over one year and not expected to be sold within one year. These vaccines are for government stockpiling purposes.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Plant and Equipment Disclosure [Text Block]	8. Property, Plant and Equipment December31, 2017 2016 Cost Construction in progress $ 34,566 $ 24,516 Plant and buildings 30,851 28,778 Machinery and equipment 39,678 35,932 Motor vehicles 1,710 1,368 Office equipment and furniture 2,736 2,534 Leasehold improvements 12,972 12,156 Total cost $ 122,513 $ 105,284 Less: Accumulated depreciation Construction in progress $ - $ - Plant and buildings 10,380 8,754 Machinery and equipment 24,808 20,689 Motor vehicles 1,333 1,202 Office equipment and furniture 2,000 1,871 Leasehold improvements 7,562 5,886 Total accumulated depreciation $ 46,083 $ 38,402 Property, plant and equipment, net $ 76,430 $ 66,882 The buildings of the Changping facilities of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $ 11,963 77.8 The buildings of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $ 2,076 13.5 The buildings of Sinovac Dalian with a net book value of $ 4,832 31.4 Net depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $ 4,638 5,063 6,258 Loss on disposal of equipment for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $ 42 478 26

Prepaid Land Lease Payments

Prepaid Land Lease Payments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Leases [Abstract]
Prepaid Land Lease Payments [Text Block]	9. Prepaid Land Lease Payments December 31, 2017 2016 Prepaid land lease payments $ 11,098 $ 10,400 Less: accumulated amortization 2,070 1,703 Net carrying value $ 9,028 $ 8,697 Prepaid land lease payments of the Changping facilities of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $ 2,566 16.7 Prepaid land lease payments of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $ 307 2.0 Prepaid land lease payments of Sinovac Dalian with a net book value of $ 3,350 21.8 Amortization expense for prepaid land lease payments for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $ 243 247 261

Bank Loans

Bank Loans	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]	10. Bank Loans December 31, 2017 2016 China Merchants Bank (a) $ - $ 4,321 Bank of Beijing (b) 3,689 7,072 Bank of China (c) - 1,440 China Merchants Bank (d) 3,074 - China Construction Bank (e) 2,982 9,996 China Construction Bank (f) 722 - PingAn Bank (g) - 4,321 Citi Bank (h) 4,611 4,129 Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (i) 3,074 - Bank loans due within one year 18,152 31,279 Bank of Beijing (j) 6,851 6,420 China Construction Bank (k) 7,998 3,028 Long-term bank loans 14,849 9,448 Total bank loans $ 33,001 $ 40,727 (a) On November 1, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a one-year term bank loan with China Merchants Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 4,321 30 15 5.00 (b) On September 18, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $ 7,202 50 1,368 9.5 1,426 9.9 1,426 9.9 1,426 9.9 1,426 9.9 753 4.9 784 5.1 4.57 1,537 10 615 4 5.00 (c) On September 26, 2016, Sinovac Dalian entered into a bank loan with Bank of China in the aggregate principal amount of $ 720 5 144.2 basis points 5.79 720 5 144.2 base points 5.79 $ 8,182 53.2 (d) On February 23, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a one-year term bank loan with China Merchants Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 3,074 20 5 4.57 59 0.4 5,379 35 (e) On May 6, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $ 17,284 120 30,739 200 On March 8, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 7,202 50 5 4.57 7,202 50 Interest is payable monthly and the loan was repaid on March 7, 2017. On July 26, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 7,202 50 5 4.13 2,218 15.4 576 4 On September 5, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 2,982 19.4 0.27 4.57 2,982 19.4 Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijing’s debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders’ equity must not be higher than 50% 14,529 94.5 (f) On March 27, 2017, Sinovac R&D entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 722 4.7 5 4.43 768 5 (g) On June 24, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with PingAn Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 4,321 30 4.35 (h) On May 9, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a revolving bank loan with Citi Bank with the aggregate principal limit of $ 4,611 30 4.47 4,129 28.7 6,820 44.4 4,611 30.0 (i) On February 27, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in the aggregate principal amount of $ 3,074 20 4.35 (j) On May 20, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with Bank of Beijing in the aggregate principal amount of $ 7,377 48 753 4.9 5.25 6,098 39.7 4.75 2,383 15.5 (k) On May 6, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $ 10,758 70 7,684 50 5 4.51 3,230 21.0 4,454 29.0 On August 17, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 3,074 20 4.75 314 2.0 123 0.8 191 1.2 Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijing’s debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders’ equity must not be higher than 50%. 14,529 94.5 Within 1 year $ 18,152 In 2019 4,283 In 2020 7,338 In 2021 3,228 In 2022 - Total $ 33,001 The weighted average interest rate for all short-term and long-term bank loans was 4.61 4.73 4.83 4.51 4.73 5.23 2,171 1,841 2,059 302 75

Related Party Transactions and

Related Party Transactions and Balances	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]	11. Related Party Transactions and Balances (a) Loan from a non-controlling shareholder December 31, 2017 2016 Loan - current $ - $ 2,304 Loan - non - current 7,070 - $ 7,070 $ 2,304 The Company has two loans due to Dalian Jin Gang Group, the non-controlling shareholder of Sinovac Dalian, with a total amount of $ 7,070 4,611 30 2,459 16 6.0 7.2 262 176 183 262 176 199 (b) The Company entered into the following transactions in the normal course of operations at the exchange amount with related parties: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Rent expenses to SinoBioway Biotech Group Co., Ltd. (“SinoBioway”). $ 793 $ 807 $ 852 In 2004, the Company entered into two operating lease agreements with SinoBioway, the parent company of Sinobioway Medicine Co., Ltd. (“Sinobioway Medicine”) which is the non-controlling shareholder of Sinovac Beijing, with respect to Sinovac Beijing’s production plant and laboratory in Beijing, China with annual lease payments totaling $ 201 1.4 20 75 0.5 201 1.4 In June 2007, the Company entered into another operating lease agreement with SinoBioway, with respect to the expansion of Sinovac Beijing’s production plant in Beijing, China, for an annual lease payment of $ 302 2.0 20 In September 2010, the Company entered into another operating lease agreement with SinoBioway with respect to expansion of Sinovac R&D’s business in research and development activities for an annual lease payment of $ 149 1.0 On April 8, 2013, the Company entered into three supplemental agreements with SinoBioway, under which the expiration date of three of the four operating lease agreements was extended to April 7, 2033. As of December 31, 2017, $ 391 366

Accounts Payable and Accrued Li

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities Disclosure [Text Block]	12. Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities December 31, 2017 2016 Trade payables $ 6,780 $ 1,834 Machinery and equipment payables 2,191 3,990 Accrued expenses 32,620 8,597 Value added tax payable 239 289 Other tax payable 619 759 Withholding tax payable 75 163 Bonus and benefit payables 8,213 5,320 Other payables 8,681 4,008 Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 59,418 $ 24,960

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]	13. Income Taxes Antigua and Barbuda Under the current laws of Antigua and Barbuda, the Company is not subject to tax on income or capital gains. Additionally, upon payments of dividends by the Company to its shareholders, no Antigua and Barbuda withholding tax will be imposed. Hong Kong Under the Hong Kong tax laws, Sinovac Hong Kong is exempted from income tax on its foreign-derived income and there are no withholding taxes in Hong Kong on remittance of dividends. China Effective from January 1, 2008, the PRC’s statutory income tax rate is 25 25 3 15 For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Non-PRC $ (3,123) $ (5,323) $ (2,052) PRC 48,167 4,929 4,808 Total $ 45,044 $ (394) $ 2,756 For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Non-PRC $ - $ - $ - PRC - 2,338 (728) Total $ - $ 2,338 $ (728) Income taxes that are attributed to discontinued operations in China were $nil for all the periods presented. Income taxes attributed to the continuing operations in China consist of: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Current income tax expenses $ (13,260) $ (3,671) $ (3,318) Deferred tax benefits 4,921 1,007 333 Total income tax expense $ (8,339) $ (2,664) $ (2,985) 25 For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $ 45,044 $ (394) $ 2,756 Income tax benefit (expense) at the PRC statutory rate (11,261) 99 (689) International tax rate differential (781) (1,331) (513) Super deduction for research and development expenses 1,257 461 463 Non-deductible expenses (577) (1,141) (1,512) Other adjustments (5) 89 (98) Effect of preferential tax rate 5,406 1,635 1,473 Change in valuation allowance (2,309) (2,430) (1,618) Effect of PRC withholding tax (69) (59) (89) Effect of prior year adjustment and restatement - 13 (402) Income tax expense $ (8,339) $ (2,664) $ (2,985) December 31, 2017 2016 Inventories 275 697 Accrued expenses 8,483 3,121 Deferred government grants 684 233 Fixed assets 3,484 2,327 Tax losses carried forward 6,375 6,035 Less: valuation allowance (9,981) (8,469) Deferred tax assets $ 9,320 $ 3,944 In assessing the realizbility of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the temporary differences become deductible or utilized. The Company considers projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Based upon an assessment of the level of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods in which the deferred tax assets are deductible or can be utilized, the Company provided valuation allowance of $ 9,981 8,469 The Company evaluates its valuation allowance requirements at end of each reporting period by reviewing all available evidence, both positive and negative, and considering whether, based on the weight of that evidence, a valuation allowance is needed. When circumstances cause a change in management’s judgement about the realizability of deferred tax assets, the impact of the change on the valuation allowance is generally reflected in income from operations. The future realization of the tax benefit of an existing deductible temporary difference ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character within the carry forward period available under applicable tax law. Tax losses of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries in the amount of $ 25,500 166 will expire from 2018 to 2022 As of December 31, 2017, the Company has not recognized any deferred tax liability on Sinovac Beijing’s undistributed earnings of approximately $ 76,952 5 10 2,812 5,624 For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Balance at January 1 1,842 2,027 1,490 Additions for tax positions of the current year 271 183 479 Additions for tax positions of the prior years - - 281 Settlement with the taxing authority - - (107) Lapse of statute of limitations (240) (368) (116) Balance at December 31 $ 1,873 $ 1,842 $ 2,027 The Company recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as part of its income tax expenses. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized $ 291 164 667 376 3 5 10 As of December 31, 2017, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $ 1,873 1,842 2,027 1,873 1,842 2,027 The Company does not expect the amount of unrecognized tax benefits would change significantly in the next 12 months.

Deferred Revenue

Deferred Revenue	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Deferred Revenue Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred Revenue Disclosure [Text Block]	14. Deferred Revenue Current deferred revenue included $ 3,950 95 Long-term deferred revenue included $nil received from the Chinese government for stockpiling of H5N1 vaccines (December 31, 2016 - $89).

Deferred Government Grants

Deferred Government Grants	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Deferred Government Grant [Abstract]
Deferred Government Grant Disclosure [Text Block]	15. Deferred Government Grants Deferred government grants represent funding received from the government for research and development (“R&D”) or investment in building or improving production facility. The amount of deferred government grants as of year end is net of research and development expenditures, deduction of depreciation expenses, and the amount recognized as government grant income. The Company received $ 2,306 753 236 292 6,104 308 December 31, 2017 2016 Construction of a pandemic influenza vaccine plant and buildings (a) $ 277 $ 259 Purchasing equipment for H1N1 vaccine production (b) 136 128 Purchasing equipment for H5N1 vaccine production (c) 15 14 EV71 commercialization project (d) 502 471 Others (g) 1,108 905 Current deferred government grants 2,038 1,777 Construction of a pandemic influenza vaccine plant and buildings (a) 291 532 Purchasing equipment for H1N1 vaccine production (b) 57 181 Purchasing equipment for H5N1 vaccine production (c) 15 29 EV71 commercialization project (d) 1,735 2,096 EV71 phase IV clinical research (e) 784 - Purchasing equipment for sIPV vaccine production (f) 1,537 - Others (g) 55 115 Non-current deferred government grants 4,474 2,953 Total deferred government grants $ 6,512 $ 4,730 (a) Deferred government grants included $ 568 791 277 291 266 271 287 (b) Deferred government grants included $ 193 136 57 131 133 141 (c) Deferred government grants included $ 30 15 15 15 15 16 (d) Deferred government grants included $ 2,237 502 1,735 403 274 80 December 31, 2017 55 (e) Deferred government grants included $784 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2017 for phase IV clinical research for EV71 vaccine. As of December 31, 2017, the Company has not fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant. As the Company does not expect to fulfill the conditions within one year, the grant is recorded as a non-current deferred government grant. (f) Deferred government grants included $ 1,537 (g) As of December 31, 2017, conditions attached to a government grant received in 2017 in the amount of $ 78 19 55 4 1,089 1,089

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	16. Commitments and Contingencies (a) Operating Lease Commitments The Company leases production plant and laboratory under operating leases from its related parties (note 11(b)). Rental expense amounted to $ 793 807 852 2018 $ 427 2019 793 2020 793 2021 793 2022 793 Thereafter 6,381 Total minimum future payments $ 9,980 (b) Other Commitments In addition to commitments disclosed in note 23, commitments related to R&D expenditures are $ 2,158 Commitments related to capital expenditures for the Company’s Sabin inactivated polio vaccine and varicella vaccine production facilities are approximately $ 112 (c) Foreign Corrupt Practice Act Matters The Company may be subject to legal proceedings, investigations and claims relating to the conduct of the Company’s business from time to time. The Beijing People’s Court issued five judgements in 2016 and 2017. These judgments were related to corrupt conduct allegedly engaged in by a former official of the Center for Drug Evaluation in CFDA, his wife and his son. These judgments found that the official and his wife had engaged in a practice of improperly soliciting and accepting payments from various individuals involved in the vaccine products industry. According to the judgments, one of the individuals solicited by the official was Mr. Weidong Yin, the Company’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. It was asserted in the judgments that Mr. Weidong Yin made three payments, and arranged for a loan, to the official and his wife, in the total amount of $77 (RMB 0.6 million) between 2002 and 2011. Mr. Weidong Yin was not charged with any offense or improper conduct and he cooperated as a witness with the procuratorate. To the Company’s knowledge, the Chinese authorities have not commenced any legal proceedings or government inquiries against Mr. Yin. In December 2016, our audit committee authorized the commencement of an internal investigation into the allegations made in the judgements. The audit committee engaged Latham & Watkins as independent counsel to assist with the investigation. In addition, the Company became aware of certain judgments based on bribery charges issued by Chinese courts in four provinces against various officials of the Chinese Center for Disease Control (the “CDC”). While these judgments appear to reflect an industry-wide investigation focused on CDC officials, they also referenced nine of the Company’s former sales persons, together with sales personnel from several other Chinese vaccine companies and distributors. These judgments did not name, and no charges were brought against, the Company or any of its directors or officers as defendants. To the best of our knowledge, the nine referenced employees cooperated with the procuratorate. The procuratorate did not contact the Company for cooperation. Upon becoming aware of these judgments, the audit committee expanded its internal investigation to review matters related to these judgments and the Company’s sales practices and policies, and further engaged Latham & Watkins to continue the independent investigation with the expanded scope. Recently, the Company became aware that one of the nine former sales employees has been convicted for giving bribes. The judgment states that this former sales person took these actions without knowledge of the Company. His criminal penalty was waived by the court. The Company has also learned that another one of the nine former sales employees is currently being investigated by the procuratorate. After the Company publicly announced the internal investigation arising from the allegations in a research report in December 2016, the Company was notified by the SEC in February 2017 of an enforcement inquiry related to the matters discussed in the report, and in April 2017 the Company received a subpoena from the SEC requesting documents. In September 2017, the Company received an inquiry from the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) and the Company has been cooperating with the DOJ. The SEC and DOJ have requested information regarding the judgments discussed above, and the Company is cooperating with these requests. Also in February 2017, the Company received an inquiry from NASDAQ related to the same matter. Further, in May 2018, the Company received an inquiry from NASDAQ requesting information related to the actions by Sinobioway and their impact on the Company’s operations and financial reporting. The Company has cooperated with both of these NASDAQ inquiries. The Company takes these matters very seriously and is committed to conducting business in compliance with all applicable laws. However, at this time, the Company is unable to predict, what, if any, action may be taken by NASDAQ, the SEC and the DOJ or any penalties or remedial measures these agencies may seek, but intend to continue to cooperate with these agencies. Any determination that our operations or activities are not in compliance with existing laws or regulations could result in the imposition of fines, civil and criminal penalties, and equitable remedies, including disgorgement or injunctive relief. The Company cannot determine as to whether an ultimate unfavorable outcome is either probably or remote, nor reasonably estimate the amount or range of the potential liability, if any, related to these matters resulting from any proceedings that may be commenced by the SEC or any other governmental authorities. On July 3, 2017, a securities class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against the Company and three of its current and former officers: Mr. Weidong Yin, the Company’s current chief executive officer, Ms. Nan Wang, the Company’s current chief financial officer, and Mr. Danny Chung, the Company’s former chief financial officer. The complaint asserts that statements in the Company’s annual filings for fiscal years 2012 through 2015 were false and misleading because they failed to disclose matters relating to the alleged bribery incidents, among other allegations. On September 6, 2017, the plaintiff has filed the notice of voluntary dismissal. The Court granted the dismissal without prejudice. (d) Other Litigation Matters On July 12, 2017, an alleged shareholder of the Company filed a putative class action complaint in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against the Company, its directors, and certain entities. The complaint alleges that the Company’s directors breached their fiduciary duties by, among other things, entering into a going-private transaction at a price below fair value and failing to take steps to maximize the value of the Company. The complaint also alleges that the Company aided and abetted those alleged breaches of fiduciary duty. The complaint seeks, among other things, an injunction preventing completion of the going-private transaction, damages (including rescissory damages) in favor of the plaintiff, and the fees and costs associated with the litigation. So far, none of the defendants, including the Company and certain director, have been served. The Company is vigorously defending this lawsuit; however, the Company cannot determine as to whether an ultimate unfavorable outcome is either probably or remote, nor reasonably estimate the amount or range of the potential liability for this case at this stage. On March 5, 2018, the Company filed a lawsuit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware seeking a determination whether 1Globe, The Chiang Li Family, OrbiMed and other shareholders of the Company had triggered our Rights Plan by forming a group holding approximately 45% of the Company’s outstanding shares, in excess of the plan's threshold of 15%, and acting in concert prior to the 2017 Annual General Election (“the AGM”). Our Rights Plan is intended to promote the fair and equal treatment of all Sinovac shareholders and ensure that no person or group can gain control of Sinovac through undisclosed voting arrangements, open market accumulation or other tactics potentially disadvantaging the interest of all shareholders. On April 12, 2018, 1Globe filed an amended answer to the Company’s complaint, counterclaims, and a third-party complaint against Mr. Weidong Yin alleging, among other allegations, that our Rights Plan is not valid, that Mr. Weidong Yin and the Buyer Consortium had previously triggered our Rights Plan, and that 1Globe did not trigger our Rights Plan. The Company and its board of directors believes that the actions taken by the board of directors were appropriate under the circumstances and that the allegations of the counterclaim and third-party complaint are without merit. 1Globe asks for various measures of equitable relief and also includes a claim for its costs, including attorneys’ fees. This litigation is currently in the pre-trial phase with a decision expected before the end of 2018, subject to appeal. The Company cannot predict whether an ultimate outcome will be favorable or unfavorable, nor estimate the amount or range of potential loss (if any) at this time. On March 5, 2018, the Company also filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for Massachusetts alleging violations of Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by 1Globe and The Chiang Li Family. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the defendant shareholders failed to make required disclosures on Schedule 13D regarding their intentions to attempt to replace the Company's board of directors. The Company is vigorously pursuing this lawsuit; however, the Company cannot predict whether an ultimate outcome will be favorable or unfavorable, nor estimate the amount or range of potential loss (if any) at this time. On April 9, 2018, the Company received a document request from SEC requesting all of the Company’s documents concerning 1Globe, the Chiang Li Family, OrbiMed, certain other shareholders, and their affiliates. The Company has been cooperating with the SEC. The Company understands the SEC is investigating whether 1Globe, and possibly other shareholders, violated the U.S. securities laws. The Company does not have any information to suggest the SEC is investigating the actions of the Company or its officers and directors. On March 13, 2018, 1Globe filed a complaint against the Company in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the High Court of Justice, Antigua and Barbuda, or the Antigua Court. The complaint seeks a declaration that the five persons purportedly proposed on its alternative ballot at the 2017 AGM were elected as directors of the Company at that meeting, an order of the Antigua Court that those directors be installed as the Company’s board of directors, and a declaration that any actions taken on behalf of the Company at the direction of the board of directors since the 2017 AGM are null and void. On April 10, 2018, 1Globe filed a notice of application in the Antigua Court seeking an order declaring the result of the disputed election, an urgent order restraining the Company’s board of directors from acting, pending determination of the dispute, including acting to initiate or continue litigation against the Shareholder Group, and other related relief. The Company is vigorously defending this lawsuit; however, the Company cannot predict or estimate an outcome or economic burden for this case at this time. Hearings in this litigation are scheduled for May 9 and 18, 2018. On April 4, 2018, Sinovac Hong Kong filed a complaint against Sinovac Beijing in the Haidian District Court of Beijing. The complaint seeks a declaration that the board resolutions dated February 6, 2018 purporting to appoint Mr. Aihua Pan as the general manager of Sinovac Beijing are invalid. On May 9, 2018, Sinobioway Medicine filed a complaint against Sinovac Beijing in the Haidian District Court of Beijing. The complaint seeks a declaration that the board resolutions passed on February 28, 2018 to appoint Mr. Weidong Yin and other senior management members are invalid. As of the date of this report, both lawsuits are pending and no hearing has been held. The Company cannot predict whether an ultimate outcome will be favorable or unfavorable, nor estimate the amount or range of potential loss (if any) at this time.

Common Stock

Common Stock	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Common Stock [Text Block]	17. Common Stock Share Capital Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote per share and is entitled to dividends when declared by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were 57,281,861 57,011,761 In 2015, the Company issued 115,500 1.60 252,400 2.37 732 18 729,000 0.001 1 In 2016, the Company issued 101,600 2.37 18,400 4.98 315 14,800 In 2017, the Company issued 31 2.37 4.98

Stock Options

Stock Options	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Text Block]	18. Stock Options (a) Stock Option Plan The board of directors approved a stock option plan (the “2003 Plan”) effective on November 1, 2003, pursuant to which directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company are eligible to receive grants of options for the Company’s common stock. The 2003 Plan expires on November 1, 2023. Up to 10 42,800 10 In December 2011, the Company granted 767,000 2.37 10 On August 22, 2012, the board of directors approved a new stock option plan (the “2012 Plan”), which allowed the Company to issue up to 4,000,000 10 On May 1, 2015, the Company granted 729,000 0.001 1,341,000 4.98 April 30, 2023 the Restricted Shares and Options shall vest on the first, second, third, fourth and fifth anniversaries of date of grant, respectively. The Restricted Shares are not subject to any restriction on transfer and repurchase after they are vested. 20 the board of directors approved that an additional 30% of the Options to be vested on December 16, 2016, and restrictions of an additional 30% of the Restricted Shares were removed on December 16, 2016. The vesting period, vesting schedule and all other terms for the unvested Options and Restricted Shares remained unchanged. 80 1,145 rate from 7 4 199 (b) Valuation Assumptions The following assumptions were used in determining the fair value of stock options under the Black-Scholes option-pricing model for grants under the 2012 Plan: 2017 2016 2015 Expected volatility - - 51.42 % Risk-free interest rate - - 1.5 % Expected life (years) - - 5.5 Dividend yield - - 0 % Estimated forfeiture rate - - 7 % There was no stock option granted for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. The weighted average fair value of options granted in 2015 was $ 2.37 Expected volatility is estimated based on the Company’s historical stock prices. Computation of expected life was estimated using simplified method for “plain-vanilla” options as the Company considers the options granted to have “plain-vanilla” characteristics. The risk-free interest rates for the period within the contractual life of the awards are based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of grant. Estimated forfeiture rates are determined based on expected future employee behavior. The fair value of restricted shares is based on the fair market value of the underlying common stock on the date of the grant. (c) Share-based Payment Award Activity A summary of the Company’s stock options activity for the 2003 and 2012 Plan is presented below: Weighted Average Aggregate Intrinsic Number Exercise Price Value of Options ($/option) ($) Outstanding as of January 1, 2017 1,336,400 $ 4.91 $ 1,328,146 Granted - - - Exercised (270,100) 4.68 - Forfeited / Expired (37,800) 4.51 - Outstanding as of December 31, 2017 1,028,500 $ 4.98 $ 2,982,650 Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2017 1,287,360 $ 4.98 $ 3,733,344 Exercisable as of December 31, 2017 545,125 $ 4.98 $ 1,580,863 Number of Non-Vested Weighted Average Restricted Grant Date shares Fair Value ($) Non-vested as of January 1, 2017 349,700 $ 4.98 Granted - - Vested (77,700) 4.98 Forfeited - 4.98 Non-vested as of December 31, 2017 272,000 $ 4.98 As at December 31, 2017 Number Number of Remaining Average Average of Remaining Exercise Options Contractual Exercise Options Contractual Average Exercise Prices Outstanding Life (years) Price Exercisable Life (years) Price ($/option) ($/option) ($/option) $ 4.98 1,028,500 5.33 $ 4.98 545,125 5.33 4.98 1,028,500 5.33 4.98 545,125 5.33 $ 4.98 Share-based compensation expense, included in cost of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses and R&D expenses is charged to operations over the vesting period of the options using the straight-line amortization method. The share-based compensation expense was $ 979 2,409 952 1,220 1,065 40 The aggregate intrinsic value of the Company’s stock options is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the options and the quoted price of the common shares that were in the money. The aggregate intrinsic value of the Company’s stock options exercised under the 2003 Plan and the 2012 Plan was $ 162 699 386 1,118 The estimated fair value of stock options vested during the year ended December 31, 2017 was $ 384 1,567 104

Statutory surplus reserves

Statutory surplus reserves	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Distribution Of Profit Disclosure [Abstract]
Distribution Of Profit Disclosure [Text Block]	19. Statutory surplus reserves Pursuant to Chinese company law applicable to foreign investment companies, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are required to maintain statutory surplus reserves. The statutory surplus reserves are to be appropriated from net income after taxes, and should be at least 10 50 19,549 14,788 Sinovac R&D, Sinovac Dalian and Sinovac Biomed have not made any profit since inception. No appropriation to the statutory surplus reserves and staff welfare and bonus were made. Dividends declared by the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are based on the distributable profits as reported in their statutory financial statements reported in accordance with PRC GAAP, which differ from the results of operations reflected in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP. The Company’s ability to pay dividends is primarily dependent on the Company receiving distributions of funds from its PRC subsidiaries. The Company has not declared any dividends to the shareholder of Sinovac Beijing in 2017, 2016 and 2015. As of December 31, 2017, the Company has $nil dividend payable (December 31, 2016 - $nil). Under PRC laws and regulations, statutory surplus reserves are restricted to set-off against losses, expansion of production and operation and increasing registered capital of the respective company, and are not distributable other than upon liquidation. Staff welfare and bonus funds are restricted to expenditures for the collective welfare of employees. The reserves are not allowed to be transferred to the Company in terms of cash dividends, loans or advances, nor are they allowed for distribution except under liquidation. Amounts restricted include the PRC subsidiaries’ paid-in capital and statutory surplus reserves of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries totaling $ 68,353 473 63,592 440 116,365 71,552

Non-controlling Interests

Non-controlling Interests	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Noncontrolling Interest Disclosure [Text Block]	20. Non-controlling Interests Non-controlling interests represent the interest of non-controlling shareholders in Sinovac Beijing and Sinovac Dalian based on their proportionate interests in the equity of that company adjusted for its proportionate share of income or losses from operations. On October 1, 2016, the Company increased its ownership in Sinovac Dalian by an additional 12.86 12,772 80 45 32.14

Earnings (loss) per Share

Earnings (loss) per Share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share [Text Block]	21. Earnings (loss) per Share For the year ended December 31 2017 2016 2015 Numerator Income (loss) from continuing operations 36,705 (3,058) (229) Less: Income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests 10,898 (124) 459 Income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac from continuing operations 25,807 (2,934) (688) Income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac from discontinued operations - 2,338 (728) Net income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac 25,807 (596) (1,416) Denominator Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding 57,033,816 56,949,083 56,313,927 Dilutive effect of stock options 67,375 - - Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding 57,101,191 56,949,083 56,313,927 Basic net income (loss) per share Continuing operations 0.45 (0.05) (0.02) Discontinued operations - 0.04 (0.01) Basic net income (loss) per share 0.45 (0.01) (0.03) Diluted net income (loss) per share Continuing operations 0.45 (0.05) (0.02) Discontinued operations - 0.04 (0.01) Diluted net income (loss) per share 0.45 (0.01) (0.03) Anti-dilutive options and non-vested restricted shares were not included in the diluted EPS calculation for the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2015.

Segment Information

Segment Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]	22. Segment Information The Company operates exclusively in the biotechnology sector. The Company’s business is considered as operating in one segment. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is the chief operating decision maker and reviews the consolidated results of operations when making decisions about resources allocation and assessing performance of the Company as a whole. All revenues are generated from the subsidiaries located in China. Total long-lived assets of $ 85,458 75,579 December 31, 2017 2016 Assets Mainland China $ 289,560 $ 196,276 Hong Kong 9,659 15,079 Total Assets $ 299,219 $ 211,355 For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Sales Inactivated hepatitis vaccines $ 37,851 $ 20,596 $ 49,416 Influenza vaccines 13,544 9,829 12,674 Enterovirus 71 vaccines 121,284 35,140 - H5N1 - 6,389 3,852 Mumps 1,667 477 1,472 Total Sales $ 174,346 $ 72,431 $ 67,414 The H5N1 vaccines were all sold to the Chinese government. The Company’s sales of H5N1 vaccines are dependent on government stockpiling purchases. For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Sales Mainland China $ 172,897 $ 71,184 $ 66,779 Foreign countries 1,449 1,247 635 Total Sales $ 174,346 $ 72,431 $ 67,414

Collaboration Agreements

Collaboration Agreements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Collaboration Agreements Disclosure [Abstract]
Collaborative Arrangement Disclosure [Text Block]	23. Collaboration Agreements (a) On March 12, 2009, the Company entered into a technology transfer agreement (with an amendment agreement entered into on December 14, 2011) with Tianjin CanSino Biotechnology Inc. (“Tianjin Cansino”). According to the agreement, Tianjing Cansino will transfer the technology related to pneumococcal vaccine to the Company and jointly develop the technology with the Company. The collaboration term under the technology transfer agreement is from March 12, 2009 to eight years after the first sale of the vaccine developed under the technology transfer agreement in the Chinese market. Under the terms of the technology transfer agreement, the Company will make milestone payments of up to $ 3,000 6 10 300 1,200 1,000 200 On January 29, 2015, the Company entered into a third amendment to the technology transfer agreement dated March 12, 2009 and the two amendment agreements dated November 17, 2009 and December 24, 2011. By entering into this third amendment, the technology transfer agreement was revised to be a licensing agreement. The remaining milestone and royalty payments under the technology transfer agreement have been reduced. Both the Company and Tianjin Cansino are free to develop pneumococcal vaccines or to collaborate with one other company for the same purpose. The Company made a payment and recorded $nil, $ 300 300 (b) On August 18, 2009, the Company entered into a patent license agreement with the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), an agency of the United States Public Health Services within the Department of Health and Human Services. NIH has granted the Company a non-exclusive license to make and use certain of its products. NIH has also granted the Company the right to use certain associated information for development of its licensed products. The collaboration term under the patent license agreement is from August 18, 2009 to the later of (a) the expiration of all royalty obligations under the licensed rights where such rights exist and (b) eight years after the first commercial sale by the Company, unless the agreement is terminated earlier per the provisions included therein. The Company has agreed to pay NIH a license issue royalty of $ 80 8 1.5 4 330 9 (c) On August 15, 2011, the Company licensed from Medimmune, LLC, a US based pharmaceutical company, certain non-exclusive rights to use patented reverse genetics technology pertaining to H5N1 influenza virus strain production for vaccines. The Company has agreed to pay an upfront license fee and milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $ 9.9 3,400 3 1,036 8 On August 15, 2012, the Company entered into amendment agreements with Medimmune, LLC to revise the termination date of the main license agreement to December 29, 2015. (d) On April 3, 2014, the Company entered into a non-exclusive license agreement (the “Agreement”) with The Institute for Translational Vaccinology (“INTRAVACC”), a governmental institute working under the Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports, to develop and commercialize the Sabin Inactivated Polio Vaccine (“sIPV”) for distribution in China and other countries. The Company expects to develop and commercialize the vaccine in China, as well as seeking regulatory approval in other countries. The agreement has a term of 50 The Company has agreed to pay INTRAVACC up to $ 2,406 1.5 665 0.5 125 94 568 0.5 (e) In September 2015, Sinovac Dalian entered into a technology transfer and supply agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA, or GSK, to use GSK’s measles seeds to develop combination vaccines containing measles for the China market. Under this agreement, GSK agreed to transfer its measles seeds, provide reasonable assistance and relevant technical materials to Sinovac Dalian for the purpose of developing and producing combination vaccines containing measles. The Company made a payment of $ 87 84

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	Subsequent Events On March 7, 2018, the Company granted 2,000,000 0.001 60 40 On April 25, 2018, the board of directors approved that all remaining unvested Options and Restricted Shares that were granted on May 1, 2015 to be fully vested on April 25, On March 26, 2018, the Company amended the amalgamation agreement entered into on June 26, 2017 (the “Amalgamation Agreement”) to extend its termination date to April 26, 2018. On April 26, 2018, the Company further amended the Amalgamation Agreement to extend its termination date to May 26, 2018.

Condensed Financial Information

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Text Block]	25. Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company December 31, 2017 2016 ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,140 $ 813 Prepaid expenses and other receivables 478 405 Amount due from subsidiaries 71,097 69,635 Dividend receivables 21,280 21,280 Total current assets 94,995 92,133 Investment in subsidiaries 72,046 35,210 Total assets $ 167,041 $ 127,343 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities Accrued expenses and other payables $ 1,943 $ 1,056 Amount due to subsidiaries 13,946 10,520 Total current liabilities 15,889 11,576 Total liabilities $ 15,889 $ 11,576 EQUITY Preferred stock - - Authorized 50,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 each Issued and outstanding: nil Common stock 57 57 Authorized: 100,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 each Issued and outstanding: 57,281,861 (2016 –57,011,761) Additional paid-in capital 115,339 112,668 Accumulated other comprehensive income 7,075 168 Retained earnings 28,681 2,874 Total shareholders' equity 151,152 115,767 Total liabilities and equity $ 167,041 $ 127,343 For the year ended December 31 2017 2016 2015 Selling, general and administrative expenses 4,267 5,434 1,813 Total operating expenses 4,267 5,434 1,813 Loss from operations (4,267) (5,434) (1,813) Other expenses - - (5,053) Interest income 145 382 413 Equity earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax 29,929 2,118 5,037 Gain on disposal of subsidiary - 2,338 - Net income (loss) 25,807 (596) (1,416) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax of nil - - Foreign currency translation adjustments 6,907 (8,014) (3,844) Total comprehensive income (loss) $ 32,714 $ (8,610) $ (5,260) For the year ended December 31 2017 2016 2015 Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities Net income (loss) $ 25,807 $ (596) $ (1,416) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: - Gain on disposal of subsidiary - (2,338) - - Share-based compensation 119 293 202 - Equity in earnings of subsidiaries (29,929) (2,118) (5,037) Changes in: - Amount due from subsidiaries (602) (171) 2,914 - Prepaid expenses and other receivables (73) (335) (61) - Amount due to subsidiaries 3,426 5,042 1,900 - Accrued expenses and other payables 887 390 82 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities (365) 167 (1,416) Cash flows provided by financing activities - Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of share issuance costs 1,264 315 732 - Proceeds from shares subscribed 428 - 18 Net cash provided by financing activities 1,692 315 750 Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 1,327 482 (666) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 813 331 997 Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $ 2,140 $ 813 $ 331 (a) Basis of presentation The condensed financial information has been prepared using the same accounting policies as set out in the accompanying consolidated financial statements except that the Company used the equity method to account for investment in its subsidiaries. The Company records its investment in its subsidiaries under the equity method of accounting. Such investment is presented on the balance sheets as “Investment in subsidiaries” and share of their income (loss) as “Equity earnings (losses) of subsidiaries” in the statements of comprehensive income (loss). Each of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries has restrictions on its ability to pay dividends to the Company under PRC laws and regulations (Note 19). The subsidiaries did not pay any dividends to the Company for the years presented. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted by reference to the consolidated financial statements. (b) Commitments The Company does not have any significant commitments or long-term obligations as of any of the periods presented, except for those disclosed in the consolidated financial statements (notes 16 and 23).

Significant Accounting Polici33

Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(a) Use of Estimates In preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates made by management include: provision for product returns, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory provisions, useful lives of amortizable intangible assets, impairment of long-lived assets, fair value of options granted and related forfeiture rates, and realizability of deferred tax assets. On an ongoing basis, management reviews its estimates to ensure that these estimates appropriately reflect changes in the Company’s business and new information as it becomes available. If historical experience and other factors used by management to make these estimates do not reasonably reflect future activity, the Company’s consolidated financial statements could be materially impacted.
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(b) Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to cash generally with maturities of three months or less when purchased.
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(c) Restricted Cash Restricted cash is cash held as collateral for transactions and a certain loan the Company has entered into.
Trade and Other Accounts Receivable, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(d) Accounts Receivable The Company extends unsecured credit to its customers in the ordinary course of business and actively pursues past due accounts. The Company estimates an allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, credit quality of the Company’s customers, current economic conditions and other factors that may affect its customers’ ability to pay.
Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(e) Inventories Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The cost of work in progress and finished goods is determined on a weighted-average cost basis and includes direct material, direct labor and overhead costs. Net realizable value represents the anticipated selling price, net of distribution cost, less estimated costs to completion for work in progress.
Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(f) Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Significant additions and improvements are capitalized, while repairs and maintenance are charged to expenses as incurred. Equipment purchased for specific research and development projects with no alternative uses are expensed. Assets under construction are not depreciated until construction is completed and the assets are ready for their intended use. Gains and losses from the disposal of property, plant and equipment are recorded in gain or loss on disposal and impairment of property, plant and equipment included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). Plant and buildings 10 24 Machinery and equipment 8 10 Motor vehicles 4 5 Office equipment and furniture 3 5 Leasehold improvements Lesser of useful lives and term of lease
Prepaid Land Lease Payments [Policy Text Block]	(g) Prepaid Land Lease Payments Prepaid land lease payments represent amounts paid for the rights to use land in the PRC and is recorded at purchased cost less accumulated amortization. Amortization is provided on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease agreement, which ranges from 28 49
Licenses [Policy Text Block]	(h) Licenses The Company capitalizes the patent payment and the purchased cost of vaccines if the vaccine has received a new drug certificate from the China Food and Drug Administration (“CFDA”) of China. If the vaccine has not received a new drug certificate, the purchase cost is expensed as in-process research and development. Licenses in relation to the production and sales of pharmaceutical products are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective useful lives. Costs incurred to renew or extend the term of licenses are capitalized and amortized over the license’s useful life on a straight-line basis.
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Including Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(i) Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Long-lived assets including intangible assets subject to amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset group may not be recoverable from the future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. An asset group is identified as assets at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets. If the asset group is not fully recoverable, an impairment loss would be recognized for the difference between the carrying value of the asset group and its estimated fair value, based on the discounted net future cash flows or other appropriate methods, such as comparable market values. The Company uses estimates and judgments in its impairment tests and if different estimates or judgment had been utilized, the timing or the amount of any impairment charges could be materially different.
Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(j) Income Taxes The Company follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined based on the temporary differences between the carrying values and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates and laws. In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17 (“ASU 2015-17”), Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, simplifying the presentation of deferred income taxes, where deferred tax liabilities and assets are to be classified as non-current in a classified statement of financial position. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2017 using the retrospective method. As a result deferred tax assets of $ 3,492 The tax benefit from an uncertain tax position is recognized only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination by the appropriate taxing authority, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized from such a position are measured based on the amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. The Company recognizes a change in available facts after the reporting date but before issuance of the financial statements in the period when the change in facts occur, even if that new information provides a better estimate of the ultimate outcome of an uncertainty. Liabilities associated with uncertain tax positions are classified as long-term unless expected to be paid within one year. Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions, if any, are recorded in the provision for income taxes and classified with the related liability on the consolidated balance sheets.
Value Added Taxes [Policy Text Block]	(k) Value-added Taxes Value-added taxes (“VAT”) collected from customers relating to product sales and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis. VAT collected from customers is excluded from revenue.
Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(l) Revenue Recognition Revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the price is fixed and determinable, delivery has occurred and there is a reasonable assurance of collection of the sales proceeds. The Company generally obtains purchase authorizations from its customers for a specified amount of products at a specified price and considers delivery to have occurred when the customer takes title of the products. The Company provides certain customers with a right of return. Revenue for inactivated hepatitis A, combined inactivated hepatitis A&B, seasonal influenza and enterovirus 71 vaccines are recognized when delivery has occurred and the Company can reasonably estimates return provision for these products. The product return provisions for inactivated hepatitis A vaccine and combined inactivated hepatitis A&B vaccine are estimated based on historical return and exchange data as well as the inventory levels and the remaining shelf lives of the products in the distribution channels. The Company started selling enterovirus 71 vaccines in 2016 . of $ 8,074 and $ 5,901 $ 0.10 0.10 As of December 31, 2017, sales return provision for inactivated hepatitis A vaccine, combined inactivated hepatitis A&B vaccine and enterovirus 71 vaccine was $ 4,672 5,039 3.1 10.9 263 533 Revenue for mumps vaccines without a right of return provided to customers is recognized when delivery has occurred. Revenue for mumps vaccines with a right of return provided to customers is recognized when payments are collected from customers. Deferred revenue is generally related to government stockpiling programs and advances received from customers. For government stockpiling programs of H5N1 vaccines, the Company generally obtains purchase authorizations from the government for a specified amount of products at a specified price and no rights of return are provided. Revenue is recognized when the government takes delivery of the products. If the products expire prior to delivery, these expired products are recognized as revenue once cash is received and the products have expired and passed government inspection.
Shipping and Handling Cost, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(m) Shipping and Handling Shipping and handling fees billed to customers are included in sales. Costs related to shipping and handling are recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). For the year ended December 31, 2017, $ 5,759 1,654 1,389
Advertising Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(n) Advertising Expenses Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Advertising costs were $ 4,007 3,336 2,777
Research and Development Expense, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(o) Research and Development Research and development ("R&D") costs are expensed as incurred and are disclosed as a separate line item in the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). R&D costs consist primarily of the remuneration of R&D staff, depreciation, material, clinical trial costs as well as amortization of acquired technology and know-how used in R&D with alternative future uses. R&D costs also include costs associated with collaborative R&D and in-licensing arrangements, including upfront fees paid to collaboration partners in connection with technologies which have not reached technological feasibility and did not have an alternative future use. Reimbursement of R&D costs for arrangements with collaboration partners is recognized when the obligations are incurred. Under certain R&D arrangements with third parties, the Company may be required to make payments that are contingent on the achievement of specific development, regulatory and/or commercial milestones. Before a product receives regulatory approval, license fees and milestone payments made to third parties are expensed as incurred. License fees and milestone payments made to third parties after regulatory approval is received are capitalized and amortized over the remaining life of the agreement with third parties.
Government Contractors, Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(p) Government Grants Government grants received from the PRC government by the PRC operating subsidiaries of the Company are recognized when there is reasonable assurance that the amount is receivable and all the conditions specified in the grant have been met. Government grants for R&D are recognized as a reduction to R&D expenses when the expenses are incurred in the same period when the conditions attached to the grants are met, or recognized as government grants recognized in income in the period when the conditions are met after the expenses are incurred. Government grants for property, plant and equipment are deferred and recognized as a reduction to the related depreciation and amortization expenses in the same manner as the property, plant and equipment are depreciated. Interest subsidies are recorded as a reduction to interest and financing expenses in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss), or recorded as a reduction to interest capitalized if the subsidies granted are related to a specific borrowing associated with building a qualifying asset. For government loans received at below market interest rate, the difference between the face value of the loan and fair value using the effective interest rate method is recorded as deferred government grants. Accretion expense is recorded in interest and financing expense and the government grant will be recognized as “government grants recognized in income” in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) when the government loan is fully repaid.
Pension and Other Postretirement Plans, Nonpension Benefits, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(q) Retirement and Other Post-retirement Benefits Full-time employees of the Company in the PRC participate in a government mandated defined contribution plan pursuant to which certain pension benefits, medical care, unemployment insurance, employee housing fund and other welfare benefits are provided to employees. Chinese labor regulations require that the Company makes contributions to the government for these benefits based on certain percentages of the employees’ salaries. The Company has no legal obligation for the benefits beyond the contributions. Total amounts for such employee benefits, which were expensed as incurred was $ 6,197 5,473 5,126
Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]	(r) Foreign Currency Translation and Transactions The Company maintains their accounting records in their functional currencies, U.S. dollars (“US$”) for the Company and Sinovac Hong Kong and Renminbi Yuan (“RMB”) for the PRC subsidiaries. The Company uses the US$ as its reporting currency. At the transaction date, each asset, liability, revenue and expense is re-measured into the functional currency by the use of the exchange rate in effect at that date. At each period end, foreign currency monetary assets, and liabilities are re-measured into the functional currency by using the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date. The resulting foreign exchange gains and losses are included in selling, general and administrative expenses. The Company recognized foreign exchange gain of $ 1,323 942 865 Assets and liabilities of the PRC subsidiaries, Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac R&D, Sinovac Dalian and Sinovac Biomed are translated into US$ at the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at average exchange rates. Gains and losses from such translations are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income, a component of shareholders’ equity. Gain on intra-entity foreign currency transactions that are of a long-term-investment nature was $ 336
Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy [Policy Text Block]	(s) Share-based Compensation Compensation expense for costs related to all share-based payments, including grants of stock options, is recognized through a fair-value based method. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the grant date fair value for stock options. The Company uses the grant date stock price to determine the grant date fair value of restricted shares. The Company has elected to recognize share-based compensation costs using the straight-line method over the requisite service period with a graded vesting schedule, provided that the amount of compensation costs recognized at any date is at least equal to the portion of the grant date value of the awards that are vested at that date. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from initial estimates. Share based compensation costs are recorded net of estimated forfeitures such that expense is recorded only for those awards that are expected to vest.
Comprehensive Income, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(t) Comprehensive Income (loss) The Company’s comprehensive income (loss) consists of net income (loss) and foreign currency translation adjustments.
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(u) Earnings (loss) Per Share Earnings (loss) per share is calculated in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 260 Earnings per Share
Lessor, Leases [Policy Text Block]	(v) Operating Leases Leases are classified as capital and operating depending on the terms and conditions of the lease agreement. Leases that transfer substantially all the benefits and risks incidental to ownership of assets are accounted for as if there was an acquisition of an asset and incurrence of an obligation at the inception of the lease. All other leases are accounted for as operating leases where rental payments are expensed as incurred. There are no capital leases for the periods presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(w) Fair Value Measurements Assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements are required to be disclosed within a specified fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy ranks the quality and reliability of inputs, or assumptions, used in the determination of fair value and requires assets and liabilities carried at fair value to be classified and disclosed in one of the following categories based on the lowest level input used that is significant to a particular fair value measurement: · Level 1 — Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. · Level 2 — Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active. · Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not have any financial assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The carrying values of cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and short-term bank loans and the current portion of long-term debt approximate their fair value because of their short-term nature. The fair values of long-term bank loans and other debt are estimated based on the discounted value of future contractual cash flows which approximates their carrying value due to the fact they are predominately stated at variable rates based on the People’s Bank of China. Fair value of the long-term bank loans and other debt are determined based on level 2 inputs. The Company measures property, plant and equipment at fair value on a non-recurring basis only if an impairment charge were to be recognized. There were no non-recurring fair value measurements for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.
Concentration Risk Exchange Rate Risk [Policy Text Block]	(x) Concentration of Risks Exchange Rate Risks The Company operates in China, which may give rise to significant foreign currency risks from fluctuations and the degree of volatility of foreign exchange rates between the US$ and the RMB. In 2017, foreign exchange gain of $ 1,323 942 865 103,370 673 47,234 328 Currency Convertibility Risks Substantially all of the Company’s operating activities are transacted in RMB, which is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. All foreign exchange transactions take place either through the People’s Bank of China or other banks authorized to buy and sell foreign currencies at the exchange rates quoted by the People’s Bank of China. Approval of foreign currency payments by the People’s Bank of China or other regulatory institutions requires submitting a payment application form together with other information such as suppliers’ invoices, shipping documents and signed contracts. Concentration of Credit Risks Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risks consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and accounts receivable, the balances of which are stated on the consolidated balance sheets which represent the Company’s maximum exposure. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in good credit quality financial institutions in Hong Kong and China. Concentration of credit risks with respect to accounts receivables is linked to the concentration of revenue. The Company’s customers are mainly various government agencies in China. For the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, no single customer of the Company accounted for more than 10% of total sales, and one of the Company’s customers accounted for 14% of the Company’s total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015. To manage credit risk, the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of customers’ financial condition. Interest Rate Risks The Company is subject to interest rate risk. Other than loans from a non-controlling shareholder of $ 7,070
New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]	(y) Recently Issued Accounting Standards In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09 (“ASU 2014-09”), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), where a single, global revenue recognition model applies to most contracts with customers. Revenue will be recognized in a manner that depicts the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled, subject to certain limitations. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, where the effective date of ASU 2014-09 was extended to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. Subsequent to the issuance of ASU 2014-09, the FASB has issued several accounting standard updates such as ASU 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, and ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients among others. These ASUs do not change the core principle of the guidance stated in ASU 2014-09, instead these amendments are intended to clarify and improve operability of certain topics included within the revenue standard. These ASUs will have the same effective date and transition requirements as ASU 2014-09. The Company will adopt the new standard since January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method. The Company has completed the assessment and implementation work. Based on the work performed, the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements or the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01 (“ASU 2016-01”), Financial Instruments. ASU 2016-01 requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset on the balance sheet or in the accompanying notes to the financial statements. That presentation provides financial statement users with more decision-useful information about an entity’s involvement in financial instruments. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements of adopting this standard. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (“ASU 2016-02”), Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements of adopting this standard. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18 (“ASU 2016-18”), Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash. ASU 2016-18 requires amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning –of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-18 on January 1, 2018, and does not expect the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Basis of Presentation (Tables)

Basis of Presentation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates [Table Text Block]	All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated. Details of the Company’s subsidiaries are as follows: Place of incorporation Percentage of Date of (or ownership as Percentage of incorporation or establishment) of December ownership as of Name establishment /operation 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 Principal activities Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Ltd. (“Sinovac Hong Kong”) October 2008 Hong Kong 100 % 100 % Investment holding company Sinovac Biotech Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac Beijing”) (note 20) April 2001 People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) 73.09 % 73.09 % Research and development, production and sales of vaccine products Sinovac Research & Development Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac R&D”) May 2009 PRC 100 % 100 % Research and development of vaccine products Sinovac (Dalian) Vaccine Technology Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac Dalian”) (note 20) January 2010 PRC 67.86 % 67.86 % Research and development, production and sales of vaccine products Sinovac Biomed Co., Ltd. April 2015 PRC 100 % 100 % Distribution of vaccine products

Significant Accounting Polici35

Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Property Plant And Equipment Useful Life [Table Text Block]	Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is computed using the straight-line method based on the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows: Plant and buildings 10 24 Machinery and equipment 8 10 Motor vehicles 4 5 Office equipment and furniture 3 5 Leasehold improvements Lesser of useful lives and term of lease

Discontinued Operations (Tables

Discontinued Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Table Text Block]	Results of the discontinued operations are summarized as follows: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Sales $ - $ - $ 112 Cost of sales - - 406 Gross loss - - (294) Selling, general and administrative expenses - 129 459 Research and development expenses - - 22 Total operating expenses - 129 481 Operating loss - (129) (775) Other income - 6 47 Loss from discontinued operations before gain on disposition and provision for income taxes - (123) (728) Gain on disposal of Tangshan Yian - 2,461 - Provision for income taxes - - - Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income tax $ - $ 2,338 $ (728)

Restricted Cash (Tables)

Restricted Cash (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Schedule of Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents [Table Text Block]	As of December 31, 2017, the balance of $ 1,549 3,007 781 768 December 31, 2017 2016 Restricted Cash $ 1,549 $ 3,007

Accounts Receivable - net (Tabl

Accounts Receivable - net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Loans and Leases Receivable Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2017 2016 Trade receivables $ 69,448 $ 52,061 Allowance for doubtful accounts (4,779) (3,603) 64,669 48,458 Other receivables 1,536 1,374 Total accounts receivable $ 66,205 $ 49,832
Accounts Receivable Aging [Table Text Block]	The Company’s maximum exposure to credit risk at the balance sheets date relating to trade receivables is summarized as follows: December 31, 2017 2016 Aging within one year, net of allowance for doubtful accounts $ 58,157 $ 45,340 Aging greater than one year, net of allowance for doubtful accounts 6,512 3,118 Total trade receivables $ 64,669 $ 48,458

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Inventory, Current [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2017 2016 Raw materials $ 3,298 $ 2,251 Work in progress 3,275 1,387 Finished goods 13,045 10,464 Total inventories $ 19,618 $ 14,102

Long-term Inventories (Tables)

Long-term Inventories (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Long Term Inventories Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Inventory, Noncurrent [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2017 2016 Finished goods - 98

Property, Plant and Equipment (

Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Table Text Block]	December31, 2017 2016 Cost Construction in progress $ 34,566 $ 24,516 Plant and buildings 30,851 28,778 Machinery and equipment 39,678 35,932 Motor vehicles 1,710 1,368 Office equipment and furniture 2,736 2,534 Leasehold improvements 12,972 12,156 Total cost $ 122,513 $ 105,284 Less: Accumulated depreciation Construction in progress $ - $ - Plant and buildings 10,380 8,754 Machinery and equipment 24,808 20,689 Motor vehicles 1,333 1,202 Office equipment and furniture 2,000 1,871 Leasehold improvements 7,562 5,886 Total accumulated depreciation $ 46,083 $ 38,402 Property, plant and equipment, net $ 76,430 $ 66,882

Prepaid Land Lease Payments (Ta

Prepaid Land Lease Payments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Licensing Agreements [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2017 2016 Prepaid land lease payments $ 11,098 $ 10,400 Less: accumulated amortization 2,070 1,703 Net carrying value $ 9,028 $ 8,697

Bank Loans (Tables)

Bank Loans (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments [Table Text Block]	Summarized below are bank loans as of December 31, 2017 and 2016: December 31, 2017 2016 China Merchants Bank (a) $ - $ 4,321 Bank of Beijing (b) 3,689 7,072 Bank of China (c) - 1,440 China Merchants Bank (d) 3,074 - China Construction Bank (e) 2,982 9,996 China Construction Bank (f) 722 - PingAn Bank (g) - 4,321 Citi Bank (h) 4,611 4,129 Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (i) 3,074 - Bank loans due within one year 18,152 31,279 Bank of Beijing (j) 6,851 6,420 China Construction Bank (k) 7,998 3,028 Long-term bank loans 14,849 9,448 Total bank loans $ 33,001 $ 40,727 (a) On November 1, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a one-year term bank loan with China Merchants Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 4,321 30 15 5.00 (b) On September 18, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $ 7,202 50 1,368 9.5 1,426 9.9 1,426 9.9 1,426 9.9 1,426 9.9 753 4.9 784 5.1 4.57 1,537 10 615 4 5.00 (c) On September 26, 2016, Sinovac Dalian entered into a bank loan with Bank of China in the aggregate principal amount of $ 720 5 144.2 basis points 5.79 720 5 144.2 base points 5.79 $ 8,182 53.2 (d) On February 23, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a one-year term bank loan with China Merchants Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 3,074 20 5 4.57 59 0.4 5,379 35 (e) On May 6, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $ 17,284 120 30,739 200 On March 8, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 7,202 50 5 4.57 7,202 50 Interest is payable monthly and the loan was repaid on March 7, 2017. On July 26, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 7,202 50 5 4.13 2,218 15.4 576 4 On September 5, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 2,982 19.4 0.27 4.57 2,982 19.4 Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijing’s debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders’ equity must not be higher than 50% 14,529 94.5 (f) On March 27, 2017, Sinovac R&D entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 722 4.7 5 4.43 768 5 (g) On June 24, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with PingAn Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 4,321 30 4.35 (h) On May 9, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a revolving bank loan with Citi Bank with the aggregate principal limit of $ 4,611 30 4.47 4,129 28.7 6,820 44.4 4,611 30.0 (i) On February 27, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in the aggregate principal amount of $ 3,074 20 4.35 (j) On May 20, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with Bank of Beijing in the aggregate principal amount of $ 7,377 48 753 4.9 5.25 6,098 39.7 4.75 2,383 15.5 (k) On May 6, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $ 10,758 70 7,684 50 5 4.51 3,230 21.0 4,454 29.0 On August 17, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $ 3,074 20 4.75 314 2.0 123 0.8 191 1.2 Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijing’s debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders’ equity must not be higher than 50%. 14,529 94.5
Schedule of Maturities of Long Term Debt and Short Term Debt [Table Text Block]	Aggregate maturities of loans for each of the next 5 years following December 31, 2017 are as follows: Within 1 year $ 18,152 In 2019 4,283 In 2020 7,338 In 2021 3,228 In 2022 - Total $ 33,001

Related Party Transactions an44

Related Party Transactions and Balances (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Schedule of Related Party Transaction Due to Related Party [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2017 2016 Loan - current $ - $ 2,304 Loan - non - current 7,070 - $ 7,070 $ 2,304
Schedule of Related Party Transactions [Table Text Block]	For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Rent expenses to SinoBioway Biotech Group Co., Ltd. (“SinoBioway”). $ 793 $ 807 $ 852

Accounts Payable and Accrued 45

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Schedule of Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Table Text Block]	December 31, 2017 2016 Trade payables $ 6,780 $ 1,834 Machinery and equipment payables 2,191 3,990 Accrued expenses 32,620 8,597 Value added tax payable 239 289 Other tax payable 619 759 Withholding tax payable 75 163 Bonus and benefit payables 8,213 5,320 Other payables 8,681 4,008 Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 59,418 $ 24,960

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Income before Income Tax, Domestic and Foreign [Table Text Block]	The Company’s income (loss) before income tax from continuing operations consists of: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Non-PRC $ (3,123) $ (5,323) $ (2,052) PRC 48,167 4,929 4,808 Total $ 45,044 $ (394) $ 2,756
Schedule Of Income Before Income Tax From Discontinuing Operations, Domestic And Foreign [Table Text Block]	For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Non-PRC $ - $ - $ - PRC - 2,338 (728) Total $ - $ 2,338 $ (728)
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]	Income taxes attributed to the continuing operations in China consist of: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Current income tax expenses $ (13,260) $ (3,671) $ (3,318) Deferred tax benefits 4,921 1,007 333 Total income tax expense $ (8,339) $ (2,664) $ (2,985)
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	The following is a reconciliation of the Company’s total income tax expenses to the amount computed by applying the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25 For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $ 45,044 $ (394) $ 2,756 Income tax benefit (expense) at the PRC statutory rate (11,261) 99 (689) International tax rate differential (781) (1,331) (513) Super deduction for research and development expenses 1,257 461 463 Non-deductible expenses (577) (1,141) (1,512) Other adjustments (5) 89 (98) Effect of preferential tax rate 5,406 1,635 1,473 Change in valuation allowance (2,309) (2,430) (1,618) Effect of PRC withholding tax (69) (59) (89) Effect of prior year adjustment and restatement - 13 (402) Income tax expense $ (8,339) $ (2,664) $ (2,985)
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block]	The tax effects of temporary differences from continuing operations that give rise to the Company’s deferred tax assets are as follows: December 31, 2017 2016 Inventories 275 697 Accrued expenses 8,483 3,121 Deferred government grants 684 233 Fixed assets 3,484 2,327 Tax losses carried forward 6,375 6,035 Less: valuation allowance (9,981) (8,469) Deferred tax assets $ 9,320 $ 3,944
Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits Roll Forward [Table Text Block]	The changes in unrecognized tax benefits are as follows: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Balance at January 1 1,842 2,027 1,490 Additions for tax positions of the current year 271 183 479 Additions for tax positions of the prior years - - 281 Settlement with the taxing authority - - (107) Lapse of statute of limitations (240) (368) (116) Balance at December 31 $ 1,873 $ 1,842 $ 2,027

Deferred Government Grants (Tab

Deferred Government Grants (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Deferred Government Grant [Abstract]
Schedule Of Deferred Government Grants [Table Text Block]	Summarized below are deferred government grants as of December 31, 2017 and 2016: December 31, 2017 2016 Construction of a pandemic influenza vaccine plant and buildings (a) $ 277 $ 259 Purchasing equipment for H1N1 vaccine production (b) 136 128 Purchasing equipment for H5N1 vaccine production (c) 15 14 EV71 commercialization project (d) 502 471 Others (g) 1,108 905 Current deferred government grants 2,038 1,777 Construction of a pandemic influenza vaccine plant and buildings (a) 291 532 Purchasing equipment for H1N1 vaccine production (b) 57 181 Purchasing equipment for H5N1 vaccine production (c) 15 29 EV71 commercialization project (d) 1,735 2,096 EV71 phase IV clinical research (e) 784 - Purchasing equipment for sIPV vaccine production (f) 1,537 - Others (g) 55 115 Non-current deferred government grants 4,474 2,953 Total deferred government grants $ 6,512 $ 4,730 (a) Deferred government grants included $ 568 791 277 291 266 271 287 (b) Deferred government grants included $ 193 136 57 131 133 141 (c) Deferred government grants included $ 30 15 15 15 15 16 (d) Deferred government grants included $ 2,237 502 1,735 403 274 80 December 31, 2017 55 (e) Deferred government grants included $784 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2017 for phase IV clinical research for EV71 vaccine. As of December 31, 2017, the Company has not fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant. As the Company does not expect to fulfill the conditions within one year, the grant is recorded as a non-current deferred government grant. (f) Deferred government grants included $ 1,537 (g) As of December 31, 2017, conditions attached to a government grant received in 2017 in the amount of $ 78 19 55 4 1,089 1,089

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases [Table Text Block]	Minimum future rental payments under operating leases to related parties for the years ending December 31 are as follows: 2018 $ 427 2019 793 2020 793 2021 793 2022 793 Thereafter 6,381 Total minimum future payments $ 9,980

Stock Options (Tables)

Stock Options (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions [Table Text Block]	The following assumptions were used in determining the fair value of stock options under the Black-Scholes option-pricing model for grants under the 2012 Plan: 2017 2016 2015 Expected volatility - - 51.42 % Risk-free interest rate - - 1.5 % Expected life (years) - - 5.5 Dividend yield - - 0 % Estimated forfeiture rate - - 7 %
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Stock Options, Activity [Table Text Block]	A summary of the Company’s stock options activity for the 2003 and 2012 Plan is presented below: Weighted Average Aggregate Intrinsic Number Exercise Price Value of Options ($/option) ($) Outstanding as of January 1, 2017 1,336,400 $ 4.91 $ 1,328,146 Granted - - - Exercised (270,100) 4.68 - Forfeited / Expired (37,800) 4.51 - Outstanding as of December 31, 2017 1,028,500 $ 4.98 $ 2,982,650 Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2017 1,287,360 $ 4.98 $ 3,733,344 Exercisable as of December 31, 2017 545,125 $ 4.98 $ 1,580,863
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Activity [Table Text Block]	A summary of the Company’s non-vested restricted share activity for the 2012 plan is presented below: Number of Non-Vested Weighted Average Restricted Grant Date shares Fair Value ($) Non-vested as of January 1, 2017 349,700 $ 4.98 Granted - - Vested (77,700) 4.98 Forfeited - 4.98 Non-vested as of December 31, 2017 272,000 $ 4.98
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, by Exercise Price Range [Table Text Block]	As at December 31, 2017 Number Number of Remaining Average Average of Remaining Exercise Options Contractual Exercise Options Contractual Average Exercise Prices Outstanding Life (years) Price Exercisable Life (years) Price ($/option) ($/option) ($/option) $ 4.98 1,028,500 5.33 $ 4.98 545,125 5.33 4.98 1,028,500 5.33 4.98 545,125 5.33 $ 4.98

Earnings (loss) per Share (Tabl

Earnings (loss) per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac per share: For the year ended December 31 2017 2016 2015 Numerator Income (loss) from continuing operations 36,705 (3,058) (229) Less: Income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests 10,898 (124) 459 Income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac from continuing operations 25,807 (2,934) (688) Income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac from discontinued operations - 2,338 (728) Net income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac 25,807 (596) (1,416) Denominator Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding 57,033,816 56,949,083 56,313,927 Dilutive effect of stock options 67,375 - - Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding 57,101,191 56,949,083 56,313,927 Basic net income (loss) per share Continuing operations 0.45 (0.05) (0.02) Discontinued operations - 0.04 (0.01) Basic net income (loss) per share 0.45 (0.01) (0.03) Diluted net income (loss) per share Continuing operations 0.45 (0.05) (0.02) Discontinued operations - 0.04 (0.01) Diluted net income (loss) per share 0.45 (0.01) (0.03)

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule Of Total Assets By Geographic Area [Table Text Block]	The Company’s total assets by geographic location are as follows: December 31, 2017 2016 Assets Mainland China $ 289,560 $ 196,276 Hong Kong 9,659 15,079 Total Assets $ 299,219 $ 211,355
Revenue from External Customers by Products and Services [Table Text Block]	The Company’s revenues by product are as follows: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Sales Inactivated hepatitis vaccines $ 37,851 $ 20,596 $ 49,416 Influenza vaccines 13,544 9,829 12,674 Enterovirus 71 vaccines 121,284 35,140 - H5N1 - 6,389 3,852 Mumps 1,667 477 1,472 Total Sales $ 174,346 $ 72,431 $ 67,414
Schedule Of Entity Wide Information Revenue From External Customers By Geographic Area [Table Text Block]	The Company’s revenues are attributed to geographic locations as follows: For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Sales Mainland China $ 172,897 $ 71,184 $ 66,779 Foreign countries 1,449 1,247 635 Total Sales $ 174,346 $ 72,431 $ 67,414

Condensed Financial Informati52

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Condensed Balance Sheet [Table Text Block]	Balance Sheets December 31, 2017 2016 ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,140 $ 813 Prepaid expenses and other receivables 478 405 Amount due from subsidiaries 71,097 69,635 Dividend receivables 21,280 21,280 Total current assets 94,995 92,133 Investment in subsidiaries 72,046 35,210 Total assets $ 167,041 $ 127,343 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities Accrued expenses and other payables $ 1,943 $ 1,056 Amount due to subsidiaries 13,946 10,520 Total current liabilities 15,889 11,576 Total liabilities $ 15,889 $ 11,576 EQUITY Preferred stock - - Authorized 50,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 each Issued and outstanding: nil Common stock 57 57 Authorized: 100,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 each Issued and outstanding: 57,281,861 (2016 –57,011,761) Additional paid-in capital 115,339 112,668 Accumulated other comprehensive income 7,075 168 Retained earnings 28,681 2,874 Total shareholders' equity 151,152 115,767 Total liabilities and equity $ 167,041 $ 127,343
Condensed Statement of Comprehensive Income [Table Text Block]	Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) For the year ended December 31 2017 2016 2015 Selling, general and administrative expenses 4,267 5,434 1,813 Total operating expenses 4,267 5,434 1,813 Loss from operations (4,267) (5,434) (1,813) Other expenses - - (5,053) Interest income 145 382 413 Equity earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax 29,929 2,118 5,037 Gain on disposal of subsidiary - 2,338 - Net income (loss) 25,807 (596) (1,416) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax of nil - - Foreign currency translation adjustments 6,907 (8,014) (3,844) Total comprehensive income (loss) $ 32,714 $ (8,610) $ (5,260)
Condensed Cash Flow Statement [Table Text Block]	Statements of Cash Flows For the year ended December 31 2017 2016 2015 Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities Net income (loss) $ 25,807 $ (596) $ (1,416) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: - Gain on disposal of subsidiary - (2,338) - - Share-based compensation 119 293 202 - Equity in earnings of subsidiaries (29,929) (2,118) (5,037) Changes in: - Amount due from subsidiaries (602) (171) 2,914 - Prepaid expenses and other receivables (73) (335) (61) - Amount due to subsidiaries 3,426 5,042 1,900 - Accrued expenses and other payables 887 390 82 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities (365) 167 (1,416) Cash flows provided by financing activities - Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of share issuance costs 1,264 315 732 - Proceeds from shares subscribed 428 - 18 Net cash provided by financing activities 1,692 315 750 Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 1,327 482 (666) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 813 331 997 Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $ 2,140 $ 813 $ 331

Basis of Presentation (Details)

Basis of Presentation (Details)	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Sinovac Hong Kong
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent	100.00%	100.00%
Sinovac Beijing
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent	73.09%	73.09%
Sinovac R&D
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent	100.00%	100.00%
Sinovac Dalian
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent	67.86%	67.86%
Sinovac Bitomed Co., Ltd.
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Parent	100.00%	100.00%

Significant Accounting Polici54

Significant Accounting Policies (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Plant And Building [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	24 years
Plant And Building [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	10 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	10 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	8 years
Motor vehicles [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	5 years
Motor vehicles [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	4 years
Office Equipment And Furniture [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	5 years
Office Equipment And Furniture [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	3 years
Leasehold Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Estimated Useful Lives	Lesser of useful lives and term of lease

Significant Accounting Polici55

Significant Accounting Policies (Details Textual) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands, ¥ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)$ / shares	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2016CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)
Foreign Currency Transaction Gain (Loss), before Tax	$ 1,323	$ 942	$ 865
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value, Total	114,415	62,434	63,834			$ 89,793
Gains Losses On Intra-entity Foreign Currency Transactions Long Term Investment Nature	336	(335)	(560)
Defined Contribution Plan, Cost Recognized	6,197	5,473	5,126
Advertising Expense	4,007	3,336	2,777
Shipping, Handling and Transportation Costs	5,759	1,654	1,389
Revenue Recognition, Changes In Estimate Of Sales Return Provision, Increase In Income From Continuing Operations	8,074
Revenue Recognition, Changes In Estimate Of Sales Return Provision, Increase In Net Income Attributable To Shareholders	$ 5,901
Changes In Estimate Of Sales Return Provision, Increase In Basic Earning Per Share | $ / shares	$ 0.10
Changes In Estimate Of Sales Return Provision, Increase In Diluted Earning Per Share | $ / shares	$ 0.10
Deferred Tax Assets, Net of Valuation Allowance, Noncurrent		3,492
Due to Related Parties, Noncurrent	$ 7,070	0
Interest Rate Risk [Member]
Due to Related Parties, Noncurrent	$ 7,070
Use Rights [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	28 years
Use Rights [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	49 years
Seasonal Influenza Vaccine [Member]
Revenue Recognition, Sales Returns, Reserve for Sales Returns	$ 263	533
Inactivated Hepatitis A Vaccine And Combined Inactivated Hepatitis A And B Vaccine [Member]
Revenue Recognition, Sales Returns, Reserve for Sales Returns	$ 4,672	$ 5,039
Percentage Of Sales Return Provision Of Private Pay Market Sales	3.10%	10.90%
Denominated in RMB [Member]
Foreign Currency Transaction Gain (Loss), before Tax	$ 1,323	$ 942	$ 865
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value, Total	$ 103,370	$ 47,234		¥ 673	¥ 328

Discontinued Operations (Detail

Discontinued Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Sales	$ 0	$ 0	$ 112
Cost of sales	0	0	406
Gross loss	0	0	(294)
Selling, general and administrative expenses	0	129	459
Research and development expenses	0	0	22
Total operating expenses	0	129	481
Operating loss	0	(129)	(775)
Other income	0	6	47
Loss from discontinued operations before gain on disposition and provision for income taxes	0	(123)	(728)
Gain on disposal of Tangshan Yian	0	2,461	0
Provision for income taxes	0	0	0
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income tax	$ 0	$ 2,338	$ (728)

Discontinued Operations (Deta57

Discontinued Operations (Details Textual) ¥ in Thousands, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2016USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2016CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2015CNY (¥)
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses	$ 926	¥ 5,970	$ 1,706	¥ 11,000
Disposal Of Business, Cumulative Translation Gain			1,880
Disposal Of Business, Net Book Value			1,435
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business			0		$ 2,461	$ 0
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred			2,016	¥ 13,000
Business Combination Consideration Receivable			$ 310				¥ 2,000
Tangshan Yian Biological Engineering Co Ltd [Member]
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Consideration						$ 1,872		¥ 13,000
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Percentage of Ownership Sold						100.00%

Restricted Cash (Details)

Restricted Cash (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Restricted Cash	$ 1,549	$ 3,007

Restricted Cash (Details Textua

Restricted Cash (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current	$ 1,549	$ 3,007
Expanded Program on Immunization [Member]
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current	781
Bank Loans [Member]
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current	$ 768

Accounts Receivable - net (Deta

Accounts Receivable - net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	$ 66,205	$ 49,832
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member]
Accounts Receivable, Gross, Current	69,448	52,061
Allowance for doubtful accounts	(4,779)	(3,603)
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	64,669	48,458
Other Receivables [Member]
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	$ 1,536	$ 1,374

Accounts Receivable - net (De61

Accounts Receivable - net (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	$ 66,205	$ 49,832
Trade Accounts Receivable Aging Within One Year [Member]
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	58,157	45,340
Trade Accounts Receivable Aging Greater Than One Year [Member]
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	6,512	3,118
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member]
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	$ 64,669	$ 48,458

Accounts Receivable - net (De62

Accounts Receivable - net (Details Textual) $ in Thousands, ¥ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounts Receivable Pledged As Collateral For Bank Loan	$ 5,379	¥ 35
Percentage Of Allowance For Accounts Receivable	15.30%	15.30%	20.50%
Accounts Receivables Aged More Than Four Years [Member]
Percentage Of Allowance For Accounts Receivable	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Accounts Receivables Aged Between Three Year And Four Years [Member]
Percentage Of Allowance For Accounts Receivable	94.60%	94.60%	84.80%
Accounts Receivables Aged Between Two Year And Three Years [Member]
Percentage Of Allowance For Accounts Receivable	68.50%	68.50%	59.10%
Accounts Receivables Aged Between One Year And Two Years [Member]
Percentage Of Allowance For Accounts Receivable	1.20%	1.20%	1.40%

Inventories (Details)

Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Raw materials	$ 3,298	$ 2,251
Work in progress	3,275	1,387
Finished goods	13,045	10,464
Total inventories	$ 19,618	$ 14,102

Inventories (Details Textual)

Inventories (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Fixed Production Overhead To Cost Of Sales	$ 2,757	$ 3,232	$ 2,154
Inventory Write-down	$ 1,231	$ 6,377	$ 1,820

Long-term Inventories (Details)

Long-term Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Finished goods	$ 0	$ 98

Property, Plant and Equipment66

Property, Plant and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost	$ 122,513	$ 105,284
Less: Accumulated depreciation	46,083	38,402
Property, plant and equipment net	76,430	66,882
Construction in Progress [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost	34,566	24,516
Less: Accumulated depreciation	0	0
Plant And Building [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost	30,851	28,778
Less: Accumulated depreciation	10,380	8,754
Machinery and Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost	39,678	35,932
Less: Accumulated depreciation	24,808	20,689
Motor vehicles [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost	1,710	1,368
Less: Accumulated depreciation	1,333	1,202
Office equipment and furniture [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost	2,736	2,534
Less: Accumulated depreciation	2,000	1,871
Leasehold Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost	12,972	12,156
Less: Accumulated depreciation	$ 7,562	$ 5,886

Property, Plant and Equipment67

Property, Plant and Equipment (Details Textual) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation, Total	$ 4,638	$ 5,063	$ 6,258
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets, Total	42	$ 478	$ 26
Sinovac Biotech Company Ltd [Member] | China Construction Bank One [Member] | China Construction Bank Changping Facility [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount	11,963			¥ 77,800,000
Sinovac Biotech Company Ltd [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Bank Of Beijing Term Loan Changping Facility [Member] | Building [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount	2,076			13,500,000
Sinovac Dalian Vaccine Technology Company Ltd [Member] | Bank Of China [Member] | Bank Of China Term Loan [Member] | Building [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount	$ 4,832			¥ 31,400

Prepaid Land Lease Payments (De

Prepaid Land Lease Payments (Details) - Land use rights - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Prepaid land lease payments	$ 11,098	$ 10,400
Less: accumulated amortization	2,070	1,703
Net carrying value	$ 9,028	$ 8,697

Prepaid Land Lease Payments (69

Prepaid Land Lease Payments (Details Textual) - Land use rights $ in Thousands, ¥ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization of Intangible Assets	$ 243	$ 247	$ 261
Sinovac Biotech Company Ltd [Member] | China Construction Bank Changping Facility [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount	2,566			¥ 16.7
Sinovac Biotech Company Ltd [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Bank Of Beijing Term Loan Changping Facility [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount	307			2
Sinovac Dalian Vaccine Technology Company Ltd [Member] | Bank Of China [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount	$ 3,350			¥ 21.8

Bank Loans (Details)

Bank Loans (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans		$ 18,152	$ 31,279
Long-term bank loans		14,849	9,448
Total bank loans		33,001	40,727
China Merchants Bank One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[1]	0	4,321
Bank Of Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[2]	3,689	7,072
Current portion of long-term bank loans and other debt	[3]	6,851	6,420
Bank Of China [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[4]	0	1,440
China Merchants Bank Two [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[5]	3,074	0
China Construction Bank One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[6]	2,982	9,996
Current portion of long-term bank loans and other debt	[7]	7,998	3,028
China Construction Bank Two [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[8]	722	0
PingAn Bank [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[9]	0	4,321
Citi Bank [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[10]	4,611	4,129
Industrial And Commercial Bank Of China [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Bank loans	[11]	$ 3,074	$ 0
[1]	On November 1, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a one-year term bank loan with China Merchants Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $4,321 (RMB 30 million) to finance its working capital requirements, bearing interest at 15% above the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 5.00% per year. Interest is payable quarterly and the loan was repaid on October 30, 2017.
[2]	On September 18, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $7,202 (RMB 50 million) with Bank of Beijing to finance its working capital requirements. $1,368 (RMB 9.5 million) was drawn on April 14, 2016 and $1,426 (RMB 9.9 million) was drawn on May 25, 2016. These two tranches were repaid on April 14, 2017 and May 25, 2017, respectively. $1,426 (RMB 9.9 million) was drawn on June 27, 2016 and $1,426 (RMB 9.9 million) was drawn on July 27, 2016. These two tranches were repaid on June 27, 2017 and July 27, 2017, respectively. $1,426 (RMB 9.9 million) was drawn on August 30, 2016 and was repaid on August 30, 2017. $753 (RMB 4.9 million) was drawn on August 29, 2017 and is payable on August 29, 2018. $784 (RMB 5.1 million) was drawn on September 6, 2017 and is repayable on August 29, 2018. These two tranches bear interest at 4.57% and is payable quarterly. $1,537 (RMB 10 million) was drawn on October 13, 2017, and is repayable on October 13, 2018. $615 (RMB 4 million) was drawn on November 9, 2017 and is repayable on October 13, 2018. These two tranches bear interest at 5.00% and is payable quarterly.
[3]	On May 20, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with Bank of Beijing in the aggregate principal amount of $7,377 (RMB 48 million) with a term from July 2015 to May 2020 for construction of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine facilities. The loan’s interest rate is based on the prime rate of a five-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China at the time withdraws are made. Interest is payable quarterly and the loan is repayable based on the payment schedule and shall be fully repaid before May 20, 2020. $753 (RMB 4.9 million) was drawn in 2015 with an annual interest rate of 5.25%, and $6,098 (RMB 39.7 million) was drawn in 2016 with an annual interest rate of 4.75%. Prepaid land lease payments and buildings of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $2,383 (RMB 15.5 million) were pledged as collateral as of December 31, 2017.
[4]	On September 26, 2016, Sinovac Dalian entered into a bank loan with Bank of China in the aggregate principal amount of $720 (RMB 5 million) to finance its working capital requirements. The loan bears interest at 144.2 base points above the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 5.79%. Interest is payable monthly and the loan was repaid on September 26, 2017. On October 12, 2016, Sinovac Dalian entered into a bank loan with Bank of China in the aggregate principal amount of $720 (RMB 5 million) to finance its working capital requirements. The loan bears interest at 144.2 base points above the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 5.79%. Interest is payable monthly and the loan was repaid on October 11, 2017. Prepaid land lease payments and buildings of Sinovac Dalian with a net book value of $8,182 (RMB 53.2 million) were pledged as collateral, which has been released in February 2018 and March 2018, respectively, after the loans were fully repaid.
[5]	On February 23, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a one-year term bank loan with China Merchants Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $3,074 (RMB 20 million) to finance its working capital requirements, bearing interest at 5% above the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 4.57% per year. Interest is payable quarterly. The loan was guaranteed by an unrelated third party, with a guarantee fee of $59 (RMB 0.4 million) over the term of the loan. Trade receivables of Sinovac Beijing with a carrying value of no less than $5,379 (RMB 35 million) were pledged as collateral, which has been released after the loan repaid. The loan was repaid on February 22, 2018.
[6]	On May 6, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $17,284 (RMB 120 million), which has been increased to $30,739 (RMB 200 million) in 2017, with China Construction Bank to finance its working capital requirements. On March 8, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $7,202 (RMB 50 million) to finance its working capital requirements, bearing interest at 5% above the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 4.57%. $7,202 (RMB 50 million) was drawn on March 8, 2016. Interest is payable monthly and the loan was repaid on March 7, 2017. On July 26, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $7,202 (RMB 50 million) to finance its working capital requirements, bearing interest at 5% below the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 4.13%. Interest is payable monthly. $2,218 (RMB 15.4 million) and $576 (RMB 4 million) were drawn on July 26, 2016 and August 12, 2016, respectively. These two tranches were repaid on July 25, 2017. On September 5, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $2,982 (RMB 19.4 million) to finance its working capital requirements, bearing interest at 0.27% above the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 4.57%. Interest is payable monthly. $2,982 (RMB 19.4 million) was drawn on September 5, 2017 and is payable on September 4, 2018. Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijing’s debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders’ equity must not be higher than 50%. The Company was in compliance with covenants associated with the loan as of December 31, 2017. Prepaid land lease payment and buildings of the Changping facilities of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $14,529 (RMB 94.5 million) were pledged as collateral against the loan as of December 31, 2017.
[7]	On May 6, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a maximum credit facility of $10,758 (RMB 70 million) with China Construction Bank to finance construction of the Sabin inactivated polio vaccine facilities. On October 14, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $7,684 (RMB 50 million) with a term from October 2016 to October 2021. The loan bears interest at 5% below the prime rate of a five-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, adjusted every 12 month, currently at 4.51%. Interest is payable quarterly and the loan is repayable based on the payment schedule and shall be fully repaid before October 13, 2021. $3,230 (RMB 21.0 million) was drawn in 2016 and $4,454 (RMB 29.0 million) was drawn in 2017. On August 17, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $3,074 (RMB 20 million) with a term from August 2017 to October 2021. The loan bears interest at prime rate of a five-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, adjusted every 12 month, currently at 4.75%. Interest is payable quarterly and the loan is repayable based on the payment schedule and shall be fully repaid before October 21, 2021. $314 (RMB 2.0 million) was drawn in 2017. $123 (RMB 0.8 million) and $191 (RMB 1.2 million) are payable on February 25, 2019 and August 25, 2019, respectively. Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijing’s debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders’ equity must not be higher than 50%. The Company was in compliance with such covenants as of December 31, 2017. Prepaid land lease payment and buildings of the Changping facilities of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $14,529 (RMB 94.5 million) were pledged as collateral.
[8]	On March 27, 2017, Sinovac R&D entered into a bank loan with China Construction Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $722 (RMB 4.7 million) to finance its working capital requirements, bearing an interest at 5% above the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 4.43%. Interest is payable monthly and the loan was repaid on March 26, 2018. $768 (RMB 5 million) of cash was pledged as collateral.
[9]	On June 24, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with PingAn Bank in the aggregate principal amount of $4,321 (RMB 30 million) to finance its working capital requirements. The loan bears interest at the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 4.35%. Interest is payable quarterly and the loan was repaid on June 24, 2017.
[10]	On May 9, 2016, Sinovac Beijing entered into a revolving bank loan with Citi Bank with the aggregate principal limit of $4,611 (RMB 30 million) to finance its working capital requirements. The revolving loan bears interest at the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, with a weighted average rate at 4.47% and interest is payable quarterly. Each withdraw from the revolving loan has a maximum term of 12 months. $4,129 (RMB 28.7 million) was drawn during 2016 and remained outstanding as of December 31, 2016, which was repaid in 2017. $6,820 (RMB 44.4 million) was drawn during 2017 and repaid in the same year. The outstanding balance of $4,611 (RMB 30.0 million) as of December 31, 2017 was fully repaid in the first quarter of 2018.
[11]	On February 27, 2017, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in the aggregate principal amount of $3,074 (RMB 20 million) to finance its working capital requirements. The loan bears interest at the prime rate of a one-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China, at 4.35%. Interest is payable quarterly and the loan was repaid on February 27, 2018.

Bank Loans (Details 1)

Bank Loans (Details 1) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Aggregate annual principal payments of loans payable
Within 1 year	$ 18,152
In 2,019	4,283
In 2,020	7,338
In 2,021	3,228
In 2,022	0
Total	$ 33,001

Bank Loans (Details Textual)

Bank Loans (Details Textual) $ in Thousands		Nov. 09, 2017USD ($)	Nov. 09, 2017CNY (¥)	Oct. 13, 2017USD ($)	Oct. 13, 2017CNY (¥)	Sep. 06, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 06, 2017CNY (¥)	Sep. 05, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 05, 2017CNY (¥)	Nov. 01, 2016USD ($)	Oct. 12, 2016USD ($)	Oct. 12, 2016CNY (¥)	Mar. 08, 2016USD ($)	Mar. 08, 2016CNY (¥)	Aug. 29, 2017USD ($)	Aug. 29, 2017CNY (¥)	Mar. 27, 2017USD ($)	Feb. 23, 2017USD ($)	Feb. 23, 2017CNY (¥)	Sep. 27, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 27, 2016CNY (¥)	Sep. 26, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 26, 2016CNY (¥)	Aug. 30, 2016USD ($)	Aug. 30, 2016CNY (¥)	Jul. 27, 2016USD ($)	Jul. 27, 2016CNY (¥)	Jul. 26, 2016USD ($)	Jun. 27, 2016USD ($)	Jun. 27, 2016CNY (¥)	May 25, 2016USD ($)	May 25, 2016CNY (¥)	Apr. 14, 2016USD ($)	Apr. 14, 2016CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Sep. 05, 2017CNY (¥)	Aug. 17, 2017USD ($)	Aug. 17, 2017CNY (¥)	Mar. 27, 2017CNY (¥)	Feb. 23, 2017CNY (¥)	Feb. 17, 2017USD ($)	Feb. 17, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2016CNY (¥)	Nov. 01, 2016CNY (¥)	Oct. 14, 2016USD ($)	Oct. 14, 2016CNY (¥)	Aug. 12, 2016USD ($)	Aug. 12, 2016CNY (¥)	Jul. 31, 2016USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2016CNY (¥)	Jul. 26, 2016CNY (¥)	Jun. 24, 2016USD ($)	Jun. 24, 2016CNY (¥)	May 09, 2016USD ($)	May 09, 2016CNY (¥)	Mar. 08, 2016CNY (¥)	Sep. 18, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 18, 2015CNY (¥)	Jul. 31, 2015USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2015CNY (¥)	May 20, 2015USD ($)	May 20, 2015CNY (¥)	May 06, 2015USD ($)	May 06, 2015CNY (¥)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt																																			$ 28,636		$ 45,462		$ 21,312
Short-term Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate																																			4.51%		4.73%		5.23%	4.51%								4.73%
Interest Costs Incurred, Total																																			$ 2,171		$ 1,841		$ 2,059
Interest Costs Capitalized																																			302		75		$ 0
Proceeds from Lines of Credit																								$ 1,426	¥ 9,900,000	$ 1,426	¥ 9,900,000		$ 1,426	¥ 9,900,000	$ 1,426	¥ 9,900,000
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current																																			1,549		3,007
Short-term Debt [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity																																																																				$ 17,284	¥ 120,000,000
Long-term Debt [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity																																																																				$ 10,758
Sinovac Dalian [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt																				$ 8,182	¥ 53,200,000
China Merchants Bank One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage																		4.57%																											4.57%
China Merchants Bank One [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																		$ 3,074																											¥ 20,000,000												$ 4,321	¥ 30,000,000
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate																		5.00%	5.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage																																																									4.35%	4.35%
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount																		$ 5,379																											¥ 35,000,000
Debt Instrument Guarantee Fee																		$ 59	¥ 400,000
Bank Of Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Loans Payable, Current, Total	[1]																																		6,851		6,420
Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit		$ 615	¥ 4,000,000			$ 784	¥ 5,100,000								$ 753	¥ 4,900,000																	$ 1,368	¥ 9,500,000
Bank Of China [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Renewed																																			30,739					¥ 200,000
Bank Of China [Member] | Sinovac Dalian [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage											5.79%	5.79%										5.79%	5.79%
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt											$ 720	¥ 5,000,000										$ 720	¥ 5,000,000
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis											144.2 base points	144.2 base points										144.2 basis points	144.2 basis points
Industrial And Commercial Bank Of China [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																														$ 3,074	¥ 20,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage																																														4.35%	4.35%
China Construction Bank Two [Member] | Sinovac Research And Development [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																	$ 722																											¥ 4,700,000
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate																	5.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage																	4.43%																											4.43%
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current																	$ 768																											¥ 5,000
Citi Bank [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																																											$ 4,611	¥ 30,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage																																																											4.47%	4.47%
Citi Bank [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit																																			6,820	¥ 44,400,000	4,129	¥ 28,700,000
Repayments of Lines of Credit																																			4,611	¥ 30,000
China Construction Bank [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																			$ 4,454		$ 3,230			¥ 29,000,000								¥ 21,000,000		$ 7,684	¥ 50,000,000
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate																																			5.00%	5.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage																																			4.51%					4.51%
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity | ¥																																																																					¥ 70,000,000
China Construction Bank [Member] | Long Term Debt One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																										$ 3,074	¥ 20,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage																																										4.75%	4.75%
Debt Instrument, Covenant Description																																			Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijings debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders equity must not be higher than 50%	Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijings debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders equity must not be higher than 50%
Proceeds from Lines of Credit																																			$ 314	¥ 2,000,000
China Construction Bank [Member] | Short Term Debt One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 2,982																																	¥ 19,400,000
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate								0.27%	0.27%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage								4.57%																																	4.57%
Proceeds from Lines of Credit								$ 2,982	¥ 19,400,000
China Construction Bank [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit													$ 7,202	¥ 50,000
Short Term And Long Term Bank Loans [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate																																			4.61%		4.73%		4.83%	4.61%								4.73%
Bank Term Loan Drawn On June 2015 [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																												$ 2,218
Bank Term Loan Drawn On June 2015 [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Covenant Description																																			Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijings debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders equity must not be higher than 50%.	Pursuant to the covenants set out in these two bank loan agreements, Sinovac Beijings debt to total assets ratio must not be higher than 80%, current ratio must not be lower than 0.8, contingent liabilities must not be higher than $36,118 (RMB 235 million) and contingent liabilities as a percentage of total shareholders equity must not be higher than 50%.
Bank Term Loan Drawn On June 2015 [Member] | China Merchants Bank One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																			$ 14,529					¥ 94,500,000																¥ 15,400,000
Bank Term Loan Drawn On June 2015 [Member] | China Merchants Bank One [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount													$ 7,202															$ 7,202							14,529					94,500,000												$ 576	¥ 4,000,000			¥ 50,000,000					¥ 50,000,000
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate													5.00%	5.00%														5.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage													4.57%															4.13%																												4.13%					4.57%
Bank Term Loan Drawn On July 2015 [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																																						$ 6,098	¥ 39,700,000											$ 7,377	¥ 48,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage																																																						4.75%	4.75%									5.25%	5.25%
Debt Instrument, Collateral Amount																																			2,383					¥ 15,500,000
Loans Payable, Current, Total																																																																$ 753	¥ 4,900,000
Bank Term Loan Drawn On November 2015 [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																																														$ 7,202	¥ 50,000,000
Bank Term Loan Drawn On November 2016 [Member] | China Merchants Bank One [Member] | Sinovac Biotech Company Ltd [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount										$ 4,321																																							¥ 30,000,000
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate										15.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage										5.00%																																							5.00%
Bank Term Loan Drawn On August 2017 [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage															4.57%	4.57%
Bank Term Loan Drawn On September 2017 [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage						4.57%	4.57%
Bank Term Loan Tranch One [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit				$ 1,537	¥ 10,000,000
Bank Term Loan Drawn On October 2017 [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				5.00%	5.00%
Bank Term Loan Drawn On November 2017 [Member] | Bank Of Beijing [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		5.00%	5.00%
Due On 25 Febraury 2019 [Member] | China Construction Bank [Member] | Long Term Debt One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit																																			123	¥ 800,000
Due On 25 August 2019 [Member] | China Construction Bank [Member] | Long Term Debt One [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit																																			$ 191	¥ 1,200,000
[1]	On May 20, 2015, Sinovac Beijing entered into a bank loan with Bank of Beijing in the aggregate principal amount of $7,377 (RMB 48 million) with a term from July 2015 to May 2020 for construction of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine facilities. The loan’s interest rate is based on the prime rate of a five-year term loan published by the People’s Bank of China at the time withdraws are made. Interest is payable quarterly and the loan is repayable based on the payment schedule and shall be fully repaid before May 20, 2020. $753 (RMB 4.9 million) was drawn in 2015 with an annual interest rate of 5.25%, and $6,098 (RMB 39.7 million) was drawn in 2016 with an annual interest rate of 4.75%. Prepaid land lease payments and buildings of Sinovac Beijing with a net book value of $2,383 (RMB 15.5 million) were pledged as collateral as of December 31, 2017.

Related Party Transactions an73

Related Party Transactions and Balances (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Loan - current	$ 0	$ 2,304
Loan - non - current	7,070	0
Due to Related Parties	$ 7,070	$ 2,304

Related Party Transactions an74

Related Party Transactions and Balances (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Sino Bioway [Member]
Rent expenses to SinoBioway Biotech Group Co., Ltd. (“SinoBioway”).	$ 793	$ 807	$ 852

Related Party Transactions an75

Related Party Transactions and Balances (Details Textual) $ in Thousands, ¥ in Millions

Apr. 08, 2013

Aug. 12, 2010USD ($)

Aug. 12, 2010CNY (¥)

Aug. 12, 2004CNY (¥)

Aug. 23, 2017USD ($)

Aug. 23, 2017CNY (¥)

Sep. 30, 2010USD ($)

Sep. 30, 2010CNY (¥)

Jun. 30, 2007USD ($)

Jun. 30, 2007CNY (¥)

Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2004USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2012USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2012CNY (¥)

Interest Expense, Related Party

$ 262

$ 176

$ 183

Proceeds from Related Party Debt

4,440

0

0

Due to Related Parties, Noncurrent

7,070

0

Due to Related Parties

7,070

2,304

Loan One [Member]

Proceeds from Related Party Debt

$ 4,611

¥ 30

Loan Two [Member]

Due to Related Parties, Noncurrent

$ 2,459

¥ 16

Dalian Jin Gang Group [Member]

Interest Expense, Related Party

$ 262

176

$ 183

Dalian Jin Gang Group [Member] | Loan One [Member]

Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage

6.00%

Dalian Jin Gang Group [Member] | Loan Two [Member]

Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage

7.20%

Sino Bioway Biotech Group Holding Limited [Member]

Related Party Transaction, Prepaid Lease Payments

$ 391

$ 366

Related Party Transaction Operating Leases Number of Lease Agreements Amended

5

Related Party Transaction Number of Supplemental Agreements With Related Party

3

Sino Bioway Biotech Group Holding Limited [Member] | Operating Lease Agreements Production Plant And Laboratory [Member]

Related Party Transaction, Operating Lease Annual Rent

¥ 1.4

$ 201

Related Party Transaction, Lease Term

20 years

Sino Bioway Biotech Group Holding Limited [Member] | Operating Lease Agreement Before Amendment Production Plant And Laboratory [Member]

Related Party Transaction, Operating Lease Annual Rent

$ 75

¥ 0.5

Sino Bioway Biotech Group Holding Limited [Member] | Operating Lease Agreement After Amendment Production Plant And Laboratory [Member]

Related Party Transaction, Operating Lease Annual Rent

$ 201

¥ 1.4

Sino Bioway Biotech Group Holding Limited [Member] | Operating Lease Agreement Expansion Of Production Plant [Member]

Related Party Transaction, Operating Lease Annual Rent

$ 302

Sino Bioway Biotech Group Holding Limited [Member] | Operating Lease Agreement Expansion Of Research And Development Business [Member]

Related Party Transaction, Operating Lease Annual Rent

$ 149

¥ 1

¥ 2

Related Party Transaction, Lease Term

5 years

5 years

20 years

20 years

Accounts Payable and Accrued 76

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Trade payables	$ 6,780	$ 1,834
Machinery and equipment payables	2,191	3,990
Accrued expenses	32,620	8,597
Value added tax payable	239	289
Other tax payable	619	759
Withholding tax payable	75	163
Bonus and benefit payables	8,213	5,320
Other payables	8,681	4,008
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$ 59,418	$ 24,960

Income Taxes (Details)

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Income (loss) before income tax from continuing operations
Non-PRC	$ (3,123)	$ (5,323)	$ (2,052)
PRC	48,167	4,929	4,808
Total	$ 45,044	$ (394)	$ 2,756

Income Taxes (Details 1)

Income Taxes (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Income (loss) before income tax from discontinued operations
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax	$ 0	$ 2,338	$ (728)
Non-PRC [Member]
Income (loss) before income tax from discontinued operations
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax	0	0	0
PRC [Member]
Income (loss) before income tax from discontinued operations
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax	$ 0	$ 2,338	$ (728)

Income Taxes (Details 2)

Income Taxes (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Income taxes attributed to the operations in China
Current	$ (13,260)	$ (3,671)	$ (3,318)
Deferred	4,921	1,007	333
Total Income tax expense	$ (8,339)	$ (2,664)	$ (2,985)

Income Taxes (Details 3)

Income Taxes (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Reconciliation of income taxes
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$ 45,044	$ (394)	$ 2,756
Income tax benefit (expense) at the PRC statutory rate	(11,261)	99	(689)
International tax rate differential	(781)	(1,331)	(513)
Super deduction for research and development expenses	1,257	461	463
Non-deductible expenses	(577)	(1,141)	(1,512)
Other adjustments	(5)	89	(98)
Effect of preferential tax rate	5,406	1,635	1,473
Change in valuation allowance	(2,309)	(2,430)	(1,618)
Effect of PRC withholding tax	(69)	(59)	(89)
Effect of prior year adjustment and restatement	0	13	(402)
Income tax expense	$ (8,339)	$ (2,664)	$ (2,985)

Income Taxes (Details 4)

Income Taxes (Details 4) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Tax effects of temporary differences giving rise to deferred tax assets
Inventories	$ 275	$ 697
Accrued expenses	8,483	3,121
Deferred government grants	684	233
Fixed assets	3,484	2,327
Tax losses carried forward	6,375	6,035
Less: valuation allowance	(9,981)	(8,469)
Deferred tax assets	$ 9,320	$ 3,944

Income Taxes (Details 5)

Income Taxes (Details 5) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Unrecognized tax benefit
Balance at January 1	$ 1,842	$ 2,027	$ 1,490
Additions for tax positions of the current year	271	183	479
Additions for tax positions of the prior years	0	0	281
Settlement with the taxing authority	0	0	(107)
Lapse of statute of limitations	(240)	(368)	(116)
Balance at December 31	$ 1,873	$ 1,842	$ 2,027

Income Taxes (Details Textual)

Income Taxes (Details Textual) $ in Thousands, ¥ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2008	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate, Percent	25.00%	25.00%	25.00%	25.00%
Components of Deferred Tax Assets [Abstract]
Deferred Tax Assets, Valuation Allowance	$ 9,981	$ 8,469
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Increase in Unrecognized Tax Benefits is Reasonably Possible		162
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	1,873	1,842	$ 2,027			$ 1,490
Unrecognized Tax Benefits that Would Impact Effective Tax Rate	1,873	1,842	$ 2,027
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Interest on Income Taxes Expense	291	164
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Interest on Income Taxes Accrued	667	$ 376
Minimum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforward [Abstract]
Deferred Tax Liability Not Recognized, Amount of Unrecognized Deferred Tax Liability, Undistributed Earnings of Domestic Subsidiaries	2,812
Maximum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforward [Abstract]
Deferred Tax Liability Not Recognized, Amount of Unrecognized Deferred Tax Liability, Undistributed Earnings of Domestic Subsidiaries	5,624
Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforward [Abstract]
Undistributed Earnings of Domestic Subsidiaries	76,952
PRC Subsidiaries [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforward [Abstract]
Operating Loss Carryforwards	$ 25,500				¥ 166
Income Tax Statute Of Limitation For Transfer Pricing Related Matters	10 years
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Operating Loss Carryforwards Expiration Period	will expire from 2018 to 2022
PRC Subsidiaries [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforward [Abstract]
Income Tax Statute Of Limitation For Transfer Pricing Related Matters	3 years
PRC Subsidiaries [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforward [Abstract]
Income Tax Statute Of Limitation For Transfer Pricing Related Matters	5 years
PRC [Member]
Withholding Income Tax [Abstract]
Lower Withholding Tax Rate On Dividends Distributed By Foreign Invested Enterprises	5.00%
Higher Withholding Tax Rate On Dividends Distributed By Foreign Invested Enterprises	10.00%
PRC [Member] | Sinovac Beijing [Member]
Income Taxes Preferential Income Tax Rate	15.00%
Income Taxes Preferential Income Tax Rate Review Period	3 years
PRC [Member] | PRC Subsidiaries [Member]
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate, Percent	25.00%

Deferred Revenue (Details Textu

Deferred Revenue (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Deferred Revenue, Current	$ 4,073	$ 2,766
Deferred Revenue, Non-current	0	89
PRC Government stockpiling purchase of H5N1 vaccines [Member]
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Deferred Revenue, Current	95	0
Deferred Revenue, Non-current	0	89
Advances from customers [Member]
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Deferred Revenue, Current	3,950	2,766
Hepatitis [Member]
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Deferred Revenue, Current	$ 28	$ 0

Deferred Government Grants (Det

Deferred Government Grants (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current deferred government grants		$ 2,038	$ 1,777
Non-current deferred government grants		4,474	2,953
Total deferred government grants		6,512	4,730
Construction of a pandemic influenza vaccine plant and buildings
Current deferred government grants	[1]	277	259
Non-current deferred government grants	[1]	291	532
Purchasing equipment for H1N1 vaccine production
Current deferred government grants	[2]	136	128
Non-current deferred government grants	[2]	57	181
Purchasing equipment for H5N1 vaccine production
Current deferred government grants	[3]	15	14
Non-current deferred government grants	[3]	15	29
EV71 commercialization project
Current deferred government grants	[4]	502	471
Non-current deferred government grants	[4]	1,735	2,096
Others
Current deferred government grants	[5]	1,108	905
Non-current deferred government grants	[5]	55	115
Purchasing equipment for sIPV vaccine production
Current deferred government grants	[6]	1,537	0
EV71 phase IV clinical research
Current deferred government grants	[7]	$ 784	$ 0
[1]	Deferred government grants included $568 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2007 for construction of a pandemic influenza vaccine plant and buildings (December 31, 2016 - $791). The Company has fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant. $277 which will be amortized in 2018 was included in the current portion of deferred government grants and $291 which will be amortized after 2018 was included in the non-current portion of deferred government grants. The production facility grant requires the Company to have the entire facility available to manufacture pandemic influenza vaccines at any given moment upon request by the Chinese government. $266 of government grant relating to these production facilities was recorded as a reduction to depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 (2016 - $271, 2015 - $287).
[2]	Deferred government grants included $193 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2009 for purchasing equipment for H1N1 vaccine production. The Company has fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant. $136 which will be amortized in 2018 was included in the current portion of deferred government grants and $57 which will be amortized after 2018 was included in the non-current portion of deferred government grants. $131 of government grant relating to these production facilities was recorded as a reduction to depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 (2016 - $133, 2015 - $141).
[3]	Deferred government grants included $30 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2013 for purchasing equipment for H5N1 vaccine production. The Company has fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant. $15 which will be amortized in 2018 was included in the current portion of deferred government grants and $15 which will be amortized after 2018 was included in the non-current portion of deferred government grants. $15 of government grant relating to these production facilities was recorded as a reduction to depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 (2016 - $15, 2015 - $16).
[4]	Deferred government grants included $2,237 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2015 for equipment purchase and construction of the enterovirus 71 (“EV71”) vaccine production facility. The Company has fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant in 2016. $502 which will be amortized in 2018 was included in the current portion of deferred government grants and $1,735 which will be amortized after 2018 was included in the non-current portion of deferred government grants. $403 of government grant relating to these production facilities was recorded as a reduction to depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 (2016 - $274, 2015 - $nil), and $80 was recorded as government recognized in income for the year ended December 31, 2017 (2016 - $55, 2015 - $nil).
[5]	As of December 31, 2017, conditions attached to a government grant received in 2017 in the amount of $78 for certain production facilities were fulfilled, of which $19 will be amortized in 2018 and $55 will be amortized after 2018, and $4 of government grant relating to these production facilities was recorded as a reduction to depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2017, conditions of four government grants totaling $1,089 have not been fulfilled by the Company. The Company expects to fulfill the conditions of the four grants within one year, and these grants totaling $1,089 were included in the current portion of deferred government grants.
[6]	Deferred government grants included $1,537 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2017 for purchasing equipment for sIPV vaccine production. As of December 31, 2017, the Company has not fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant. As the Company does not expect to fulfill the conditions within one year, the grant is recorded as a non-current deferred government grant.
[7]	Deferred government grants included $784 being the unamortized portion of a grant the Company received in 2017 for phase IV clinical research for EV71 vaccine. As of December 31, 2017, the Company has not fulfilled the conditions attached to the government grant. As the Company does not expect to fulfill the conditions within one year, the grant is recorded as a non-current deferred government grant.

Deferred Government Grants (D86

Deferred Government Grants (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Proceeds from Government Grants Received	$ 2,306	$ 753	$ 236
Deferred Government Grants Current And Noncurrent	6,512	4,730
Deferred Government Grants Current	2,038	1,777
Deferred Government Grants Noncurrent	4,474	2,953
Government Grant Recorded as Reduction to Depreciation Expenses	4
Revenue from Grants	141	6,984	1,637
Grants For Pandemic Influenza Vaccine [Member]
Deferred Government Grants Current And Noncurrent	568	791
Deferred Government Grants Current	277
Deferred Government Grants Noncurrent	291
Government Grant Recorded as Reduction to Depreciation Expenses	266	271	287
Grants received in 2009 for H1N1 [Member]
Deferred Government Grants Current And Noncurrent	193
Deferred Government Grants Current	136
Deferred Government Grants Noncurrent	57
Government Grant Recorded as Reduction to Depreciation Expenses	131	133	141
Grants received in 2013 for H5N1 [Member]
Deferred Government Grants Current And Noncurrent	30
Deferred Government Grants Current	15
Deferred Government Grants Noncurrent	15
Government Grant Recorded as Reduction to Depreciation Expenses	15	15	16
Grants For Research And Development And Purchase Of Equipment For Ev71 Vaccine Production [Member]
Deferred Government Grants Current And Noncurrent	2,237
Deferred Government Grants Current	502
Deferred Government Grants Noncurrent	1,735
Government Grant Recorded as Reduction to Depreciation Expenses	403	274	0
Revenue from Grants	80	55	0
Other research projects [Member]
Deferred Government Grants Current And Noncurrent	1,089
Deferred Government Grants Current	1,089
Revenue from Grants	78
Interest subsidy, Rental Fees Subsidy and Other Government Grants [Member]
Additional Income from Government Grants	292	$ 6,104	$ 308
Grants For Research And Development And Purchase Of Equipment For sIPV Vaccine Production [Member]
Deferred Government Grants Current And Noncurrent	1,537
Government Grants for certain production facilities [Member]
Deferred Government Grants Current	19
Deferred Government Grants Noncurrent	$ 55

Commitments and Contingencies87

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Minimum future rental payments under operating leases
2,018	$ 427
2,019	793
2,020	793
2,021	793
2,022	793
Thereafter	6,381
Total minimum future payments	$ 9,980

Commitments and Contingencies88

Commitments and Contingencies (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Operating Lease Commitments
Operating Leases, Rent Expense, Net, Total	$ 793	$ 807	$ 852
Description Of Information Regarding Lawsuit Filed About Right Plan	On March 5, 2018, the Company filed a lawsuit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware seeking a determination whether 1Globe, The Chiang Li Family, OrbiMed and other shareholders of the Company had triggered our Rights Plan by forming a group holding approximately 45% of the Company’s outstanding shares, in excess of the plan's threshold of 15%, and acting in concert prior to the 2017 AGM.
Research and Development Arrangement [Member]
Operating Lease Commitments
Long-term Purchase Commitment, Amount	$ 2,158
Capital Addition Purchase Commitments [Member]
Operating Lease Commitments
Long-term Purchase Commitment, Amount	$ 112

Common Stock (Details Textual)

Common Stock (Details Textual) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Nov. 01, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding		57,281,861	57,011,761
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Stock Options Exercised		$ 1,264,000	$ 315,000	$ 732,000
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures, Total	729,000
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share		$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Proceeds from Stock Options Exercised	$ 1,000	$ 1,264,000	$ 315,000	732,000
Cash proceeds received on exercise of stock options for which shares were not issued till date		428,000	0	18,000
Proceeds From Stock Options Exercised With Shares Issued Subsequent To Year End		$ 428,000	$ 0	$ 18,000
Common Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding		57,281,861			57,011,761
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Forfeited			14,800
Range Of Exercise Prices Dollars 1.60 [Member] | Common Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period				115,500
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price				$ 1.60
Range Of Exercise Prices Dollars 2.37 [Member] | Common Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period			101,600	252,400
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price		$ 2.37	$ 2.37	$ 2.37
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Stock Options Exercised		$ 31,000
Range Of Exercise Prices Dollars 4.98 [Member] | Common Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period		239,100	18,400
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price		$ 4.98	$ 4.98
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Stock Options Exercised		$ 239,100

Stock Options (Details)

Stock Options (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Valuation assumptions for stock options
Estimated forfeiture rate	4.00%	7.00%
Stock options
Valuation assumptions for stock options
Expected volatility	0.00%	0.00%	51.42%
Risk-free interest rate	0.00%	0.00%	1.50%
Expected life (years)	0 years	0 years	5 years 6 months
Dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Estimated forfeiture rate	0.00%	0.00%	7.00%

Stock Options (Details 1)

Stock Options (Details 1) - Employee Stock Option [Member] $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)$ / sharesshares
Stock options activity
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares) | shares	1,336,400
Granted | shares	0
Exercised | shares	(270,100)
Forfeited / Expired | shares	(37,800)
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares) | shares	1,028,500
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period | shares	1,287,360
Exercisable at the end of the period | shares	545,125
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.91
Granted (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	0
Exercised (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	4.68
Forfeited / Expired (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	4.51
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	4.98
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	4.98
Exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.98
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the beginning of the period | $	$ 1,328,146
Outstanding at the end of the period | $	2,982,650
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period (in dollars) | $	3,733,344
Exercisable at the end of the period | $	$ 1,580,863

Stock Options (Details 2)

Stock Options (Details 2) - Restricted Stock [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Non-vested at the beginning of the period (in shares) | shares	349,700
Granted | shares	0
Vested | shares	(77,700)
Forfeited | shares	0
Non-vested at the end of the period (in shares) | shares	272,000
Non-vested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.98
Granted (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	0
Vested (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	4.98
Forfeited / Expired (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	4.98
Non-vested at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.98

Stock Options (Details 3)

Stock Options (Details 3)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Options Outstanding - Number of Options Outstanding (in shares) | shares	1,028,500
Options Outstanding - Remaining Average Contractual Life (in years)	5 years 3 months 29 days
Options Outstanding - Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.98
Options Exercisable - Number of Options Exercisable (in shares) | shares	545,125
Options Exercisable - Remaining Contractual Life (in years)	5 years 3 months 29 days
Options Exercisable - Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.98
Range Of Exercise Prices Dollars 4.98 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Options Outstanding - Number of Options Outstanding (in shares) | shares	1,028,500
Options Outstanding - Remaining Average Contractual Life (in years)	5 years 3 months 29 days
Options Outstanding - Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.98
Options Exercisable - Number of Options Exercisable (in shares) | shares	545,125
Options Exercisable - Remaining Contractual Life (in years)	5 years 3 months 29 days
Options Exercisable - Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 4.98

Stock Options (Details Textual)

Stock Options (Details Textual) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	May 01, 2016	Dec. 16, 2016	May 31, 2015$ / sharesshares	Aug. 22, 2012shares	Dec. 31, 2011$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)$ / shares	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)$ / shares	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense						$ 979	$ 2,409	$ 952
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures, Total | shares			729,000
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share | $ / shares						$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Plan Modification, Incremental Compensation Cost						$ 199
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Plan Modification, Number of Employees Affected						80
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Fair Value Assumptions Estimated Forfeiture Rate						4.00%	7.00%
2012 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures, Total | shares			729,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures, Total | shares			1,341,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price | $ / shares			$ 4.98
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Date			Apr. 30, 2023
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	20.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Plan Modification, Description and Terms		the board of directors approved that an additional 30% of the Options to be vested on December 16, 2016, and restrictions of an additional 30% of the Restricted Shares were removed on December 16, 2016. The vesting period, vesting schedule and all other terms for the unvested Options and Restricted Shares remained unchanged.
Stock options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Percentage of Outstanding Stock Maximum						10.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross | shares					767,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Exercise Price | $ / shares					$ 2.37
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | $ / shares								$ 2.37
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Vested in Period, Fair Value						$ 384	$ 1,567	$ 104
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Plan Modification, Incremental Compensation Cost							$ 1,145
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Fair Value Assumptions Estimated Forfeiture Rate						0.00%	0.00%	7.00%
Stock options [Member] | 2003 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant | shares							42,800
Share Based Compensation Arrangements By Share Based Payment Award Options Vesting Rights Percentage									10.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Intrinsic Value						$ 162	$ 386	$ 1,118
Stock options [Member] | 2003 Plan [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Period						10 years
Stock options [Member] | 2012 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized | shares				4,000,000
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Not yet Recognized, Stock Options						$ 1,220
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition						40 months
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Intrinsic Value						$ 699
Stock options [Member] | 2012 Plan [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Period				10 years
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share | $ / shares			$ 0.001
Restricted Stock [Member] | 2012 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Not yet Recognized, Stock Options						$ 1,065

Statutory surplus reserves (Det

Statutory surplus reserves (Details Textual) $ in Thousands, ¥ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016CNY (¥)
Schedule Of Distribution Of Profits [Line Items]
Appropriation Of Net Income After Taxes To Statutory Surplus Reserve Fund Required Minimum Percentage	10.00%
Reserve Level Threshold For Mandatory Transfer Percentage	50.00%
Retained Earnings, Appropriated	$ 19,549		$ 14,788
Restricted Paid In Capital And Statutory Surplus Reserves	68,353	¥ 473	63,592	¥ 440
Amount of Restricted Net Assets for Consolidated and Unconsolidated Subsidiaries	116,365		71,552
Sinovac Beijing
Schedule Of Distribution Of Profits [Line Items]
Dividends Payable, Current	$ 0		$ 0

Non-controlling Interests (Deta

Non-controlling Interests (Details Textual) - Oct. 01, 2016 $ in Thousands, ¥ in Millions	USD ($)	CNY (¥)
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Increase in ownership (as a percent)	12.86%	12.86%
Increase in ownership by the entity in a subsidiary through contributing dividends declared to another subsidiary, but unpaid	$ 12,772	¥ 80
Sinovac Beijing
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Noncontrolling Owners	45.00%	45.00%
Sinovac Dalian
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Noncontrolling Owners	32.14%	32.14%

Earnings (loss) per Share (Deta

Earnings (loss) per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Numerator
Income (loss) from continuing operations	$ 36,705	$ (3,058)	$ (229)
Less: Income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests	10,898	(124)	459
Income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac from continuing operations	25,807	(2,934)	(688)
Income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac from discontinued operations	0	2,338	(728)
Net income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Sinovac	$ 25,807	$ (596)	$ (1,416)
Denominator
Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding	57,033,816	56,949,083	56,313,927
Dilutive effect of stock options	67,375	0	0
Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding	57,101,191	56,949,083	56,313,927
Basic net income (loss) per share
Continuing operations	$ 0.45	$ (0.05)	$ (0.02)
Discontinued operations	0	0.04	(0.01)
Basic net income (loss) per share	0.45	(0.01)	(0.03)
Diluted net income (loss) per share
Continuing operations	0.45	(0.05)	(0.02)
Discontinued operations	0	0.04	(0.01)
Diluted net income (loss) per share	$ 0.45	$ (0.01)	$ (0.03)

Segment Information (Details)

Segment Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Assets, Total	$ 299,219	$ 211,355
Mainland China
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Assets, Total	289,560	196,276
Hong Kong
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Assets, Total	$ 9,659	$ 15,079

Segment Information (Details 1)

Segment Information (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	$ 174,346	$ 72,431	$ 67,414
Inactivated hepatitis vaccines
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	37,851	20,596	49,416
Influenza vaccines
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	13,544	9,829	12,674
Enterovirus 71 vaccines [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	121,284	35,140	0
H5N1
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	0	6,389	3,852
Mumps
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	$ 1,667	$ 477	$ 1,472

Segment Information (Details 2)

Segment Information (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	$ 174,346	$ 72,431	$ 67,414
Mainland China
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	172,897	71,184	66,779
Foreign countries
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Sales	$ 1,449	$ 1,247	$ 635

Segment Information (Details Te

Segment Information (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Long-Lived Assets	$ 85,458	$ 75,579

Collaboration Agreements (Detai

Collaboration Agreements (Details Textual) € in Thousands, $ in Thousands

Apr. 03, 2014

Dec. 14, 2011USD ($)

Mar. 12, 2009USD ($)

Aug. 18, 2009USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2016EUR (€)

Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2014EUR (€)

Dec. 31, 2012USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2013USD ($)

Accrued Royalties, Current

$ 8

Milestone Fee Recorded Research And Development Expenses

568

€ 500

Payments to Acquire Productive Assets

$ 87

84

Technology Transfer Agreement [Member]

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Milestone Payments Incurred

0

300

$ 300

Tianjing Can Sino Biotechnology Inc [Member] | Technology Transfer Agreement [Member]

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Payment for Transfer of Additional Serotypes and Related Technology

$ 300

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Milestone Payments Incurred

1,200

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Milestone Payments Incurred for Agreement before Amendment

1,000

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Milestone Payments Incurred for Amended Agreement

$ 200

Tianjing Can Sino Biotechnology Inc [Member] | Technology Transfer Agreement [Member] | Maximum [Member]

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Milestone Payments

$ 3,000

Royalty Payment on Net Sales

10.00%

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Entrance Fees and Milestone Payments

$ 3,000

Tianjing Can Sino Biotechnology Inc [Member] | Technology Transfer Agreement [Member] | Minimum [Member]

Royalty Payment on Net Sales

6.00%

National Institute of Health [Member] | Patent License Agreement [Member]

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement License Issue Royalty

$ 80

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement License Royalty Payments Upon Achievement of Each Benchmark

330

Royalty Expense

0

$ 9

$ 0

National Institute of Health [Member] | Patent License Agreement [Member] | Maximum [Member]

Royalty Payment on Net Sales

4.00%

National Institute of Health [Member] | Patent License Agreement [Member] | Minimum [Member]

Royalty Payment on Net Sales

1.50%

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Non Refundable Annual Royalty

$ 8

Medimmune LLC [Member] | H5N1 Licenses [Member]

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Milestone Payments Incurred

$ 9,900

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Licenses Fees and Royalties Paid

$ 3,400

Accrued Royalties, Current

$ 1,036

Institute For Translational Vaccinology [Member]

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Milestone Payments

1,500

Collaborative Arrangements and Noncollaborative Arrangement Entrance Fees and Milestone Payments

2,406

Entrance Fee Recorded As Research And Development Expense

665

€ 500

Collaborative Arrangement Term of Agreement

50 years

Institute For Translational Vaccinology [Member] | Sabin Inactivated Polio Vaccine [Member]

Payment Made Recorded As Research And Development Expense

$ 125

€ 94

Subsequent Events (Details Text

Subsequent Events (Details Textual) - $ / shares	Mar. 07, 2018	May 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share			$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures		729,000
Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Restricted Stock Award, Net of Forfeitures	2,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche One [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	60.00%
Subsequent Event [Member] | Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Two [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	40.00%
Subsequent Event [Member] | Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Three [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	40.00%

Condensed Financial Informat104

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 114,415	$ 62,434	$ 63,834	$ 89,793
Prepaid expenses and other receivables	2,101	1,372
Total current assets	203,888	130,747
Total assets	299,219	211,355
Current liabilities
Accrued expenses and other payables	32,620	8,597
Total current liabilities	92,543	66,264
Total liabilities	122,079	81,689
EQUITY
Preferred stock Authorized 50,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 eachIssued and outstanding: nil	0	0
Common stockAuthorized: 100,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 eachIssued and outstanding: 57,281,861 (2016 - 57,011,761)	57	57
Additional paid-in capital	115,339	112,668
Accumulated other comprehensive income	7,075	168
Retained earnings	9,132	(11,914)
Total shareholders' equity	151,152	115,767
Total liabilities and equity	299,219	211,355
Parent Company
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	2,140	813
Prepaid expenses and other receivables	478	405
Amount due from subsidiaries	71,097	69,635
Dividend receivables	21,280	21,280
Total current assets	94,995	92,133
Investment in subsidiaries	72,046	35,210
Total assets	167,041	127,343
Current liabilities
Accrued expenses and other payables	1,943	1,056
Amount due to subsidiaries	13,946	10,520
Total current liabilities	15,889	11,576
Total liabilities	15,889	11,576
EQUITY
Preferred stock Authorized 50,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 eachIssued and outstanding: nil		0
Common stockAuthorized: 100,000,000 shares at par value of $0.001 eachIssued and outstanding: 57,281,861 (2016 - 57,011,761)	57	57
Additional paid-in capital	115,339	112,668
Accumulated other comprehensive income	7,075	168
Retained earnings	28,681	2,874
Total shareholders' equity	151,152	115,767
Total liabilities and equity	$ 167,041	$ 127,343

Condensed Financial Informat105

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (Parenthetical) (Details) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued	0	0
Preferred Stock, Shares Outstanding	0	0
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common Stock, Shares, Issued	57,281,861	57,011,761
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	57,281,861	57,011,761
Parent Company
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued	0	0
Preferred Stock, Shares Outstanding	0	0
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common Stock, Shares, Issued	57,281,861	57,011,761
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	57,281,861	57,011,761

Condensed Financial Informat106

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Selling, general and administrative expenses	$ 87,365	$ 41,980	$ 37,481
Total operating expenses	108,689	49,534	45,311
Loss from operations	(45,417)	(504)	(3,695)
Other expense	13	100	(174)
Interest income	1,183	731	1,155
Gain on disposal of subsidiary	0	2,461	0
Net income (loss)	25,807	(596)	(1,416)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax of nil
Total comprehensive loss	32,714	(8,610)	(5,260)
Parent Company
Selling, general and administrative expenses	4,267	5,434	1,813
Total operating expenses	4,267	5,434	1,813
Loss from operations	(4,267)	(5,434)	(1,813)
Other expense	0	0	(5,053)
Interest income	145	382	413
Equity earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax	29,929	2,118	5,037
Gain on disposal of subsidiary	0	2,338	0
Net income (loss)	25,807	(596)	(1,416)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax of nil
Foreign currency translation adjustments	6,907	(8,014)	(3,844)
Total comprehensive loss	$ 32,714	$ (8,610)	$ (5,260)

Condensed Financial Informat107

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities
Net income (loss)	$ 25,807	$ (596)	$ (1,416)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
- Gain on disposal of subsidiary	0	(2,461)	0
- Share-based compensation	979	2,409	952
Changes in:
- Prepaid expenses and other receivables	(622)	(436)	434
- Accrued expenses and other payables	33,416	2,739	(298)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	61,354	(15,364)	4,933
Cash flows provided by financing activities
- Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of share issuance costs	1,264	315	732
- Proceeds from shares subscribed	428	0	18
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	(143)	(82)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year	62,434	63,834	89,793
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	114,415	62,434	63,834
Parent Company
Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities
Net income (loss)	25,807	(596)	(1,416)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
- Gain on disposal of subsidiary	0	(2,338)	0
- Share-based compensation	119	293	202
- Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	(29,929)	(2,118)	(5,037)
Changes in:
- Amount due from subsidiaries	(602)	(171)	2,914
- Prepaid expenses and other receivables	(73)	(335)	(61)
- Amount due to subsidiaries	3,426	5,042	1,900
- Accrued expenses and other payables	887	390	82
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(365)	167	(1,416)
Cash flows provided by financing activities
- Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of share issuance costs	1,264	315	732
- Proceeds from shares subscribed	428	0	18
Net cash provided by financing activities	1,692	315	750
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	1,327	482	(666)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year	813	331	997
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	$ 2,140	$ 813	$ 331