China slams EU ban on medical-device sales as trade-dispute list grows ahead of July talks
Brussels urged to ‘immediately correct its wrongdoings’, while Beijing says it will take measures to defend Chinese enterprises’ interests
China has hit back at the EU’s decision to exclude Chinese companies from the 27-member bloc’s public tenders for multi-million-euro medical devices – the latest items on a growing list of trade disputes between Beijing and Brussels.
“The European side has disregarded the goodwill and sincerity that China has repeatedly conveyed through bilateral dialogues,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. “China is strongly dissatisfied with the decision and resolutely opposes it.
“China urges the European side to immediately correct its wrongdoings and will take measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”
Brussels’ decision came as both sides were attempting to manage their trade differences – ranging from electric vehicles to cognac – in preparation for next month’s China-EU summit set to take place in Beijing.
But efforts have faced fresh challenges in recent weeks.
China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, and his European counterpart, Maros Sefcovic, held a video call after the von der Leyen episode, attempting to pull trade talks back on track.