BRUSSELS: The European Union has barred Chinese companies from participating in public procurement of medical devices worth more than €5 million ($5.8 million), citing long-standing discriminatory practices by Beijing.
The ban, announced Friday, comes as part of a broader effort by the 27-member bloc to address unfair trade barriers and follows a year-long probe into limited access for EU firms in China’s medical device sector.
“Our aim with these measures is to level the playing field for EU businesses,” said EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, emphasizing the bloc’s continued openness to dialogue.
The decision applies to a vast array of healthcare products — from surgical masks to X-ray machines — in a market estimated to be worth €150 billion in Europe. In addition to banning Chinese firms from major public contracts, the EU will also cap Chinese inputs in successful bids at 50 percent.
According to the European Commission, nearly 90 percent of medical device tenders in China systematically exclude EU-made products, in violation of principles of fair trade. After a year of negotiations that failed to yield results, Brussels moved ahead with the ban under a 2022 mechanism designed to ensure reciprocity in global public procurement markets.
The move marks another escalation in growing EU-China trade tensions, which have also affected sectors such as electric vehicles, rail, solar energy, and wind technology. Beijing has condemned the measures as protectionist.
Brussels said the new restrictions are intended to pressure China into lifting barriers and offering EU companies the same level of market access that Chinese firms enjoy in Europe.
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