China announces the entry into force of its restrictions on EU medical device manufacturers

The Chinese government announced this Sunday that it is implementing immediate restrictions on the procurement of medical devices for companies based in the European Union, in a new episode of the ongoing conflict between Beijing and Brussels in this area.

These companies will be barred from participating in government tenders valued at more than 45 million yuan (€5.3 million) for certain medical devices, in a move very similar to the one announced last month by Brussels.

On June 20, Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic announced that the European Union would ban Chinese manufacturers from public procurement contracts worth more than €5 million in the medical device sector this month, in retaliation for the discrimination faced by European companies in the same industry in China.

According to data gathered in a Brussels investigation, Beijing imposes "significant and recurrent" legal and administrative restrictions, with 87% of public procurement contracts in the sector subject to measures and practices that are "exclusionary and discriminatory" for European Union entities.

In its response, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce laments that "the EU has ignored China's goodwill and sincerity and has insisted on imposing restrictive measures and building new protectionist barriers."

" China has therefore had no choice but to adopt reciprocal restrictive measures , which aim to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and maintain a fair competitive environment," the spokesperson said, before clarifying that the measures only apply to medical devices imported from the EU and do not affect products manufactured in China by companies with European investments.