The European Union on Friday formed Chinese companies for the purchases of government medical devices for a value of more than five million euros ($ 5.8 million) in retaliation for the limits of Beijing places access to its own market.
The last save in commercial tensions between the block of 27 nations and China covers a wide range of health supplies, from surgical masks to X -ray machines, which represent a market worth 150 billion euros in the EU.
“Our goal with these measures is to level the playing field for EU companies,” said Commissioner of Commerce of the Maros Sefcovic block. “We are still committed to dialogue with China to solve these problems.”
In response, China accused the EU of “double standard.”
“The EU has always boasted that it is the most open market in the world, but in reality, it has gradually moved towards protectionism,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, at a regular press conference.
“Under the pretext of fair competition (the EU) actually carries out an unfair competition, which is a typical case of double standard.”
The European Commission said in a statement that the measure was in “response to the long exclusion of China from medical devices made by the EU of Chinese government contracts.”
Brussels said that just under 90 percent of public procurement contracts for medical devices in China “were subject to exclusive and discriminatory measures” against EU companies.
In addition to causing Chinese companies of the main state purchases, “China contributions for successful offers” would also be limited to 50pc, he said.
In the last three years, Brussels and Beijing have conflict in several economic sectors, including electric cars, the railway industry, solar panels and wind turbines.
The decision on medical devices occurs at a time of higher commercial tensions with the United States of President Donald Trump, who has imposed customs surcharges to imports around the world, including Europe.
The EU has decided to adopt a tougher position in trade in recent years, adopting a vast arsenal of legislation to better defend their businesses against unfair competition.
In April 2024, the Commission opened an investigation into Chinese public contracts for medical devices, the first under a new mechanism introduced by the EU in 2022 to obtain better access to state purchases abroad.
China, on the other hand, accuses Europe of protectionism.
After a year of negotiations, the commission, which manages commercial policy on behalf of the 27 Member States, said it had not progressed with China.
“The measure seeks to encourage China to cease discrimination against EU companies and medical devices manufactured in the EU and treat EU companies with the same opening as EU with Chinese companies and products,” said Brussels.
