Medical device ban shows EU would rather echo protectionism

The European Union's latest decision to impose a five-year ban on Chinese companies bagging public procurement tenders for medical devices worth more than 5 million euros ($5.68 million) is either a bold stand for "fair competition" or a hypocritical swing of the protectionist bat. Brussels calls it a reciprocal move, alleging that China's procurement favors domestic players. It is a strategic miscalculation that risks fracturing one of the world's most crucial economic partnerships.

Announced just one day before Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic met in Paris on Tuesday, Brussels' move reveals its short-sightedness. At a time when both sides should have been standing together against Washington's unilateralism, the EU has instead chosen to tread Washington's path.

The EU justifies the ban under the International Procurement Instrument, claiming China's procurement policies unfairly favor domestic firms. The instrument, a unilateral tool adopted by the EU in 2022, aims to ensure so-called market reciprocity in public procurement. However, this argument collapses when one takes into consideration the fact that European medical giants like Siemens and Philips have long dominated China's high-end imaging and surgical equipment markets.