SHANGHAI – The European Union does not want a trade war with Beijing, but five years of negotiations have not resulted in real progress, the bloc’s ambassador to China said on Saturday, adding that concerns about access to the Chinese market for European medical devices were growing. .
Trade frictions between the bloc and China have intensified over the past year after the EU launched an investigation into imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, prompting Beijing to open investigations into Europe’s pork and dairy sectors and to restrict cognac imports.
New EU tariffs of up to 45.3% on Chinese EV imports came into effect last week.
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Additionally, the EU launched an investigation into China’s public purchases of medical devices in April, which Beijing was quick to criticize at the time.
Speaking at an event in Shanghai, EU ambassador to China Jorge Toledo said conversations with European medical device manufacturers showed they were being discriminated against in Chinese public procurement.
“We conclude that it is clear… European companies, which have been producing medical devices in China for the past two decades, are being discriminated against against their Chinese competitors in public procurement,” Toledo said at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the China Europe International Business School.
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“If this is true, and we know it is true, we will treat Chinese companies in Europe the same way we are treated here,” he declared. “We don’t want a trade war. We just want transparency. We want equal conditions.”
