EU hits back against 'Buy China' policy in medical devices market

Published connected 06/06/2025 - 15:00 GMT+2•Updated 07/06/2025 - 13:09 GMT+2

EU personnel states' representatives voted this week for retaliatory measures against Chinese restrictions connected European aesculapian instrumentality manufacturers, negotiated and EU sources confirmed to Euronews.

This followed an investigation by nan European Commission recovered "clear evidence" that China unfairly blocked EU-made aesculapian devices from its procurement market.

It represents nan first countermeasure implemented utilizing an International Procurement Instrument (IPI), which came into unit successful August 2022, designed to guarantee adjacent entree for EU firms to procurement opportunities extracurricular nan bloc.

Ambassadors adopted nan connection midweek, but nan specifications are expected to beryllium published successful nan EU’s Official Journal successful nan coming days.

“We had genuinely hoped that nan International Procurement Instrument process would lead to much meaningful speech and advancement pinch China, but unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet,” said Oliver Bisazza, CEO of MedTech Europe, nan EU’s relation of aesculapian instrumentality manufacturers.

Bisazza wants to spot nan afloat specifications earlier reacting, but he pointed retired that aesculapian instrumentality companies stay committed to constructive engagement betwixt nan EU and China.

“This assemblage is captious for redeeming and improving people’s lives and maintaining basal healthcare infrastructure, offering important services. This is thing some parties should consider,” he added.

Mounting barriers

EU companies person agelong struggled to summation entree to China’s nationalist procurement market, contempt China being 1 of Europe’s largest trading partners for aesculapian devices - accounting for 11% of export destinations successful 2022.

The Commission’s investigation focused connected China’s authorities procurement law, which enforces nan alleged "Buy China" policy, requiring nationalist entities to prioritise home products and services, pinch constricted exceptions.

The probe recovered that EU manufacturers look a scope of obstacles, including opaque support systems, discriminatory certification procedures, vague nationalist liking clauses utilized to exclude overseas bidders, and pricing pressures that are often unfeasible for European firms.

One stark example: successful Guangdong Province, nan number of “approved” imported aesculapian devices dropped from 132 successful 2019 to conscionable 46 successful 2021, highlighting nan tightening of marketplace entree for EU firms.

Fallout for EU-China relations

The China Chamber of Commerce to nan EU responded pinch concern, tweeting that nan IPI measures nonstop “a troubling signal” for bilateral waste and acquisition ties. In a follow-up statement, nan Chamber based on that nan targeted usage of nan IPI risks becoming a de facto waste and acquisition obstruction and urged nan EU to reconsider nan necessity and semipermanent effect of specified actions.

The measures travel astatine a delicate infinitesimal successful EU-China relations, which are presently undergoing a tentative negotiated reset. After years of friction, nan 2 sides person stepped up engagement to negociate long-standing disputes.

Much of this renewed speech is simply a consequence to shifting world dynamics, including nan Trump-era waste and acquisition warfare and broader US-China tensions, which person prompted Brussels to prosecute a much balanced approach.

A cardinal milestone successful this reset is nan upcoming EU-China Summit, now confirmed to return spot successful Beijing successful nan 2nd half of July 2025.

Despite nan escalating procurement dispute, a Commission spokesperson downplayed concerns that nan IPI measures would harm broader waste and acquisition relations.

“We've been making very clear to immoderate world partners pinch whom we judge location is simply a problem arsenic regards to nan level playing section for procurement: should those problems not beryllium removed, we would beryllium forced to return action,” said nan spokesperson.

On Wednesday, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič met pinch Chinese Minister Wang Wentao connected nan sidelines of nan OECD Ministerial Council – their 3rd gathering wide and 2nd successful person.

According to nan Commission, nan talks covered a wide scope of captious bilateral issues arsenic some sides activity to guarantee advancement up of nan July summit.