Trade disputes between the European Union and China escalated over the past year after the bloc launched an investigation into imports of electric cars made in… Chinaprompting Beijing to investigate Europe’s pork and dairy industries and limit liquor imports.
New customs duties imposed by the European Union on imports of Chinese electric cars, amounting to 45.3 percent, entered into force last week.
Moreover, the European Union launched an investigation into Chinese government purchases of medical devices in April, which Beijing was quick to criticize at the time.
The European Union’s ambassador to China, Jorge Toledo, said in a speech during an event in Shanghai that talks with European medical device manufacturers showed that they were exposed to discrimination during the implementation of Chinese government purchases.
“We discovered that it is clear… that European companies, which have been producing medical devices in China for the past two decades, are being discriminated against by their Chinese competitors in public procurement,” Toledo added.
He continued, “If this is true, and we know it is true, we will treat Chinese companies in Europe in the same way.” He added, “We do not want a trade war. We only want transparency. We want equal opportunities.”
