China imposes limits on costly EU medical device contracts
Beijing's finance ministry announced on July 6 that it would restrict government purchases of EU-made medical devices exceeding 45 million yuan (US$6.3 million) in value. The move marks a direct response to the European Commission's decision last month to bar Chinese firms from participating in public tenders for medical equipment worth over 60 billion euros ($70 billion) annually.
Tensions have been mounting between the world's second and third-largest economies. The EU recently slapped tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, prompting China to launch a probe into European brandy imports, culminating in fresh duties announced this week.
Beijing's latest action also extends beyond EU-only goods. The finance ministry said China will restrict government purchases of medical devices from any country if over 50 percent of the contract's value comes from EU-made components. These measures take effect immediately.
"Regrettably, despite China's goodwill and sincerity, the EU has insisted on going its way, taking restrictive measures and building new protectionist barriers," China's commerce ministry said in a separate statement. "Therefore, China has no choice but to adopt reciprocal restrictive measures."
The EU delegation in Beijing has not yet responded to the announcement.
China's latest move comes under the shadow of a leaders' summit scheduled later this month, which had been expected to ease trade frictions. Instead, the standoff appears to be intensifying.
Notably, China clarified that EU firms already operating inside the country will not be affected by these new restrictions.
Separately, late last week, China announced five-year tariffs of up to 34.9 percent on European brandy, primarily impacting French cognac, after concluding a months-long investigation seen as retaliation for the EU's EV duties.
Major cognac producers—including Pernod Ricard, LVMH, and Remy Cointreau—were exempt from the tariffs if they met minimum pricing thresholds. China has not publicly disclosed those minimums.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Trump announces tariff rates for numerous countries
Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? U.S. President Donald Trump sent letters to governments around the world on Monday informing them of the tariff rates he would impose starting Aug. 1 — though Canada's July 21 deadline to reach a deal appears to remain. Trump said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea beginning Aug. 1 as he unveiled the first two of an expected 12 letters to trading partners outlining the new levies they face. If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25 per cent that we charge, Trump said in letters to the leaders of the two Asian countries, which he posted on his Truth Social platform. Later, Trump also announced the U.S. will impose 25 per cent tariffs on Malaysia and Kazakhstan, 30 per cent on South Africa and 40 per cent on Laos and Myanmar. The rate for South Korea is the same as Trump initially announced on April 2, which he was calling Liberation Day, while the rate for Japan is one point higher than first announced. A week later, he capped all of the so-called reciprocal tariffs at 10 per cent until July 9 to allow for negotiations. Only two agreements have been reached so far — with Britain and Vietnam. There was no immediate response from the Japanese or South Korean embassies. Country-specific U.S. tariffs will not be stacked on top of sectoral duties, a White House official said on Monday when asked about Japan and South Korea. About 12 countries will receive letters from Trump, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing without identifying them. She said Trump would sign an executive order on Monday formally delaying the July 9 deadline to Aug. 1. There will be additional letters in the coming days, Leavitt said, adding that we are close on some deals. The European Union will not be receiving a letter setting out higher tariffs, EU sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. U.S. stocks fell in response, the latest market ruction since Trump unleashed a global trade war on his return to office in January. His moves have repeatedly whipsawed financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to protect their economies. U.S. stocks were driven to near bear-market territory by his cascade of tariff announcements through the early spring but quickly rebounded to record highs in the weeks after he put the stiffest levies on hold on April 9. The S&P 500 on Monday was down nearly one per cent, its biggest drop in three weeks. U.S.-listed shares of Japanese automotive companies fell, with Toyota Motor down 4.1 per cent at mid-afternoon trading and Honda Motor off by 3.8 per cent. The dollar surged against both the Japanese yen and the South Korean won. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Monday he expected several trade announcements to be made in the next 48 hours, adding that his inbox was full of last-ditch offers from countries to clinch a tariff deal by the deadline. Bessent did not say which countries could get deals and what they might contain. Trump has kept much of the world guessing on the outcome of months of talks with countries hoping to avoid the hefty tariff hikes he has threatened. Countries have scrambled to hammer out deals before the Wednesday deadline. South Korea and Indonesia dispatched representatives to Washington, while Thailand submitted a new trade proposal offering zero tariffs on many U.S. goods. We've had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals, Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. So it's going to be a busy couple of days. Canada likely not affected While other countries were hit with high rates on Liberation Day, Canada was spared any additional pain on April 2. Because the looming trade deal that was set for July 9 related to tariffs the U.S. president handed out three months ago, Canada is not under the same pressure to make a deal in the coming days. Instead, Prime Minister Mark Carney Trump agreed in March to negotiate a new security and economic partnership, and have been working toward that since Carney visited the White House in early May. Last month, the two leaders set July 21 as the deadline for reaching that deal. WATCH | Why Carney scrapped the digital service tax: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Scrapping digital service tax is part of U.S. negotiations, Carney says Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday that scrapping the digital services tax was one part of the bigger trade negotiation with the U.S., though the White House said Carney 'caved' when trade talks were cancelled. Talks have since resumed. However, Canada is still being hit with fentanyl-related tariffs. Those 25 per cent tariffs, with a lower 10 per cent levy on energy and potash, only apply to exports not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on trade. Canada is also being hit with Trump's tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles. That doesn't mean Canadians won't feel the impact of Trump's trade negotiations this week, however, as high tariff rates imposed on other nations could still disrupt the global trading system and impact Canadians indirectly. EU still working to reach deal For its part, the European Union still aims to reach a trade deal by July 9 after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump had a good exchange, a Commission spokesperson said. It was not clear, however, whether there had been a meaningful breakthrough in talks to stave off tariff hikes on the United States' largest trading partner. Adding to the pressure, Trump threatened to impose a 17 per cent tariff on EU food and agriculture exports, it emerged last week. Trump had said on Sunday the U.S. was close to finalizing several trade pacts and would notify other countries by July 9 of higher tariff rates. He said they would not take effect until Aug. 1, a three-week reprieve. He also put members of the developing nations' BRICS group in his sights as its leaders met in Brazil, threatening an additional 10 per cent tariff on any BRICS countries aligning themselves with anti-American policies. The new 10 per cent tariff will be imposed on individual countries if they take anti-American policy actions, a source familiar with the matter said. The BRICS group comprises Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa along with recent joiners Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Thomson Reuters with files from the Canadian Press
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
EU migration delegation ordered deported from eastern Libya on alleged entry violations
CAIRO (AP) — Authorities in eastern Libya refused entry to three European ministers and the EU commissioner for migration on alleged entry violations, apparently after they stopped first in the rival Libyan capital of Tripoli in the west. A statement from the prime minister of the eastern part of Libya, Osama Hammad, said the interior ministers of Italy, Greece, Malta and the EU migration commissioner, Magnus Brunner, were 'persona non-grata' after they were denied entry shortly after their arrival in Benghazi. It said the ministers had entered illegally and had not followed Libyan diplomatic conventions. The ministers were in 'flagrant contravention of established diplomatic norms and international conventions, and through actions that demonstrably disregard Libyan national sovereignty, as well as in violation of Libyan domestic laws,' the statement said. The delegations 'are urged to engage with the Libyan Government in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, as enshrined in international agreements, treaties, and diplomatic custom,' it added. In addition to Brunner, the delegation included Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. The delegation was visiting Libya seeking tougher migration measures against boats carrying migrants from Libya. The EU has spent years and millions of euros trying to stem the people smuggling operations that have thrived in Libya's lawlessness and brought hundreds of thousands of desperate people to European shores. Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the chaos that followed, the country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments. Currently, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah heads the internationally recognized government in the capital of Tripoli in the west while Hammad heads the administration in the east, where the powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter continues to also hold sway. The EU delegation had met first with Dbeibah, and the deportation incident was apparently caused because the European delegation stopped first in Tripoli, said Greek Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hadzidakis. Usually foreigners including diplomats coordinate with both administrations if they want to visit western and eastern Libya. Speaking to state-run ERT television in Greece, Hadzidakis said the Tripoli meeting went ahead as planned. 'However, in Benghazi —perhaps because the visit to Tripoli came first — the Benghazi government decided it would not receive the European Commissioner and the three ministers. I don't think that was a constructive move, especially given that the European Union is genuinely trying to find a solution to this very unusual situation — just as it has tried with our other southern and eastern neighbors — on a complex issue like migration.' For southern and eastern Libya, which are under the control of Hifter's forces, visitors have to coordinate and get permits from the east-based government, which is allied with Hifter. It's not clear if such permits were sought or granted. In Italy, opposition lawmakers who have criticized the hard-line stance against migration of the government of Premier Giorgia Meloni were quick to point out the irony that her migration minister was deported from a country on alleged immigration violations. 'Piantedosi was turned back from Libya because he was accused of illegal entry,' Democratic Party lawmaker Matteo Orfini wrote on Facebook. 'I was thinking of an ironic comment but I'd say that's good as is.'
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Macron says France and Britain will 'save Europe' as he starts a state visit to the UK
LONDON (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged Britain to stick close to its neighbors despite its exit from the European Union, saying France and the U.K. will 'save Europe' by standing for democracy, law and international order in a dangerous world. On a state visit that mixed royal pageantry with tough political talks on Ukraine and migration, Macron said Europe must strengthen its economy and defenses and reduce its dependence 'on both the U.S. and China.' Macron's three-day trip, at the invitation of King Charles III, is the first state visit to the U.K. by a European Union head of state since Brexit, and a symbol of the U.K. government's desire to reset relations with the bloc after Britain acrimoniously left the EU in 2020. Macron addressed members of both houses of Britain's Parliament packed into the building's ornate Royal Gallery. He said the two countries represent 'a world order based on law, justice and respect for territorial integrity, an order that is today being attacked on a daily basis.' 'The United Kingdom and France must once again show the world that our alliance can make all the difference,' Macron said, adding that "we will save Europe by our example and our solidarity.' He said that even though Britain has left the EU, "the United Kingdom cannot stay on the sidelines. Because defense and security, competitiveness, democracy — the very core of our identity — are connected across Europe as a continent.' Pomp and politics The French president and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were treated to the full force of British ceremonial charm, a far cry from the chilly relations of 2022, when then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the 'jury is out' on whether Macron was a friend or a foe. The Macrons were greeted on a red carpet laid over the tarmac at London's RAF Northolt air base by Prince William and his wife Catherine — wearing a dress by French design house Christian Dior — before being met by King Charles and Queen Camilla in Windsor, west of London. A military band played the French and U.K. national anthems as all four set out for the royal residence of Windsor Castle in horse-drawn carriages, through streets bedecked in Union Jacks and French tricolor flags. Later, the king and queen will host a state banquet for their guests. The monarch is expected to steer clear of politics but will make a broad appeal to international cooperation at the banquet. According to remarks obtained before the event, he will say that Britain and France 'face a multitude of complex threats' that 'know no borders' — and that 'no fortress can protect us against them.' 'New tactics to stop boats' Politics will take center stage on Wednesday, when Macron sits down for talks with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on migration, defense and investment — including a 12.5% stake by French energy firm EDF in a new nuclear power plant planned for eastern England. Macron also came bearing a tantalizing cultural gift: an agreement to send the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain for the first time in more than 900 years. The 70-meter (230-foot) tapestry shows the invasion of England in 1066 by the Norman French army of William the Conqueror. It will go on display at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027. At a meeting on Wednesday and a U.K.-France summit on Thursday, Macron and Starmer will discuss ways to stop migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats and try to advance plans for a post-ceasefire security force for Ukraine, despite apparent U.S. indifference to the idea and Russia's refusal to halt the onslaught on its neighbor. Britain receives fewer asylum-seekers than Mediterranean European countries, but thousands of migrants each year use northern France as a launching point to reach the U.K., either by stowing away in trucks or — after a clampdown on that route — in small boats across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. The U.K. has struck a series of deals with France over the years to increase patrols of beaches and share intelligence in an attempt to disrupt the smuggling gangs. It has all had only a limited impact. About 37,000 people were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats in 2024, and more than 20,000 people made the crossing in the first six months of 2025, up by about 50% from the same period last year. Dozens of people have died attempting the crossing. British officials have been pushing for French police to intervene more forcefully to stop the boats, and welcomed the sight of officers slashing rubber dinghies with knives in recent days. France is also considering a U.K. proposal for a 'one-in, one-out' deal that would see France take back some migrants who reached Britain, in return for the U.K. accepting some of those in France. Macron said the leaders would try 'to fix today what is a burden for our two countries.' 'France and the U.K. have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness," he said. Keeping Ukraine in focus Starmer and Macron have worked closely together to rally support for Ukraine, though they have taken contrasting approaches to U.S. President Donald Trump, with Macron more willing to challenge the American president than the emollient Starmer. Britain and France have led efforts to form an international peacekeeping force for Ukraine to reinforce a future ceasefire with European troops and equipment and U.S. security guarantees. Trump has shown little enthusiasm for the idea, however, and a ceasefire remains elusive. British officials say the 'coalition of the willing' idea is alive and well, with Macron and Starmer due to join an international videoconference on Thursday to discuss planning for the force. Macron said the coalition was a sign that 'Europeans will never abandon Ukraine – never.'
