European Union member states voted on Monday to exclude Chinese companies from selling medical devices within the bloc’s public procurement market. This decision marks a retaliatory measure against Beijing’s restrictions on European imports in the medical device sector, as confirmed by diplomatic sources.
This move represents the first application of the EU’s International Procurement Instrument (IPI), a 2022 regulation designed to enable reciprocal measures in public procurement. The implementation of these restrictions is anticipated to heighten trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing, coinciding with broader commercial volatility exacerbated by Washington’s recent tariffs.
An anonymous EU diplomat characterized the bloc’s decision to adopt the European Commission’s suggested restrictions as proportionate, though specific details were not disclosed. An EU investigation, concluded in January, found that China discriminated against EU medical devices in its public procurement processes, including those for state-owned hospitals.
In response, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU issued a statement expressing “profound disappointment over this decision.” The Chamber further voiced “serious concerns about the EU’s move to limit Chinese enterprises’ participation in the EU procurement market, particularly in the healthcare sector.”
