The EU Seems to Have Taken the Trump Admin’s Lead With China

Commentary

Europe has taken steps to slow imports of Chinese-made medical devices. Unlike the United States under the Trump administration, the European Union has not resorted to tariffs to achieve this end. Instead, it has simply barred Chinese products from certain sectors of the market. But similar to the U.S. approach, the goal is to pressure Beijing to change its unfair trade practices.

This most recent movement follows the European Commission’s recommendations under its International Procurement Instrument. Until further notice, the European Union will exclude Chinese-made products from government purchases of medical devices exceeding 5 million euros ($5.7 million). Successful bids will have to limit these products to below half of a total purchase, with some exceptions where there are no alternative suppliers. Since much of the medical and hospital spending in Europe is nationalized, these new rules effectively exclude Chinese companies from most of the European market for medical devices.

European authorities have explained these new measures as a response to China’s long-standing exclusion of EU-manufactured medical devices from China’s public procurement contracts. These authorities note how Europe’s former openness had allowed Chinese exports of medical devices to EU economies to double between 2015 and 2023, while at the same time, Beijing has used “exclusionary” practices to bar EU-manufactured medical devices from some 87 percent of Chinese public procurement market.

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic has made clear that these new measures are not punitive. Instead, they aim to get China to change its long-standing protectionist practices, which he described as discriminatory. “We are committed to dialogue with China to resolve this issue,” he said.

Sefcovic has stated that if Beijing addresses the bloc’s concerns, the EU will suspend or withdraw these measures. Though his style and tone are very different from U.S. President Donald Trump’s, the substance of what he says is very much the same.

Beijing’s initial response leaves little room to hope for an early resolution. Guo Jiakun, speaking for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, completely glossed over Beijing’s long-standing exclusion of all foreign makers of medical devices and immediately accused the EU of drifting toward protectionism and resorting to unilateral economic and trade tools. Rather than yield to Europe or even negotiate, China, he said, will “firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

These steps taken by the EU, in addition to its relatively recent decision to impose steep tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, are sending the same message to Beijing as is the Trump administration.

The West once tolerated Chinese protectionism in the interest of development, with the expectation that as China developed, it would change its policy.

But with China’s development into an economic power and little change in Beijing’s policies, these same Western nations can no longer afford such open and easy attitudes. They certainly are no longer willing to do so. Beijing must come to realize that such old arrangements are unlikely to return anytime soon, and may never do so. It would do well to conduct itself accordingly.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.