The European Union said Wednesday it would investigate whether China is using unfair means to deprive European companies of access to markets for medical devices ranging from hypodermic needles to high-tech scanners.
The investigation, launched by the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch and trade and competition watchdog, is the latest to help Chinese companies gain access to China’s vast market, like the ones they enjoy in Europe. This is an attempt.
“Openness is essential for businesses to grow, consumers to prosper and innovation to flourish around the world,” Valdis Dombrovskis, the commission’s head of trade, said in a statement.
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“We are launching this investigation with China to ensure that both sides achieve a level playing field in the procurement market for medical device manufacturers,” he said. “Unfortunately, repeated discussions with China regarding this trade stimulus have been fruitless.”
An investigation has been launched by the European Commission into whether China is unduly restricting certain companies’ access to the Chinese medical market. Photo: European flags in front of the EU headquarters in Brussels. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Image)
If the issue fails to be resolved, Brussels could restrict access to the EU market for Chinese buyers, goods and services. According to the report, China’s medical equipment exports to Europe surged by more than 100% between 2015 and 2023.
The commission said it had gathered evidence that the Chinese market was gradually closing to European companies and domestic EU products. It argues that the measures introduced by China “unfairly discriminate” between domestic and foreign companies. The impact on European companies has not been quantified.
The commission said France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands were among the worst-hit countries, but the medical device market is so large that many large companies across Europe and thousands of He added that small and medium-sized businesses may be being treated unfairly. .
The first step in the investigation, which could take nine to 14 months to complete, will be for the committee to send a list of questions to Chinese authorities.
The Committee expects that no action will be required. The main objective is to win fair treatment for all sides. Spokesman Olof Gil told reporters: “We hope that China’s public procurement market will be as open to us as our market is to China. It’s simple: no more, no less. Not even,” he told reporters.
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But China’s Foreign Ministry said the EU’s move smacks of protectionism.
Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said: “The EU has always claimed to be the world’s most open market, but what we are seeing now is that the EU is gradually moving towards protectionism.” said.
“We urge the EU to uphold its commitment to the principles of open markets and fair competition, abide by the rules of the WTO (World Trade Organization), and stop unjustly suppressing and restricting Chinese companies under various pretexts,” he said. I ask for it.”
