China firmly opposes the European Union's protectionist move to limit Chinese firms and products from participating in major public procurement tenders of medical devices, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Tuesday.
A spokesperson from MOFCOM made the remarks in response to a question about European Commission (EC)'s announcement to exclude Chinese companies from EU government purchases of medical devices under the International Procurement Instrument (IPI).
In January this year, the conclusion of the investigation released by the MOFCOM into investment barriers in Europe showed that the EU has continuously set up barriers for Chinese enterprises in areas such as public procurement and investment. On this occasion, despite China's repeated expressions of goodwill and sincerity through bilateral dialogues, the EU has acted unilaterally, utilizing a unilateral tool to erect new protectionist barriers. This not only harms the interests of Chinese enterprises but also severely undermines fair competition, the spokesperson said.
China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this, urges the EU to immediately correct its erroneous practices, and will take measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, the spokesperson noted.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU. China is willing to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both sides proceeding from the overall perspective of China-EU economic and trade relations, continue to engage in dialogue and consultation with the EU, in order to properly handle economic and trade frictions and stabilize the confidence and expectations for cooperation between Chinese and European enterprises, the spokesperson noted.