Latest news with #EU-only
Canada News.Net
08-07-2025
- Business
- Canada News.Net
China imposes limits on costly EU medical device contracts
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device imports, just weeks after Brussels blocked Chinese firms from accessing lucrative EU procurement 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.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Latvian PM explains her vision of sending European troops to Ukraine
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has said that until recently, the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine had been seen as a joint NATO mission, but there is reason to anticipate an alternative European proposal. Source: the Delfi news outlet with reference to a statement by Siliņa, as reported by European Pravda Details: Siliņa emphasised the need to discuss whether it is necessary to create some kind of coalition of states that are capable of ensuring peace in Ukraine and willing to do so. "We need to talk about whether this is being done and what the legal framework will be because so far we have all seen it as a joint NATO mission," she said. The Latvian prime minister believes that it is necessary to prepare scenarios for an alternative European proposal. Siliņa said that the Baltic and Scandinavian regions are closely coordinating their actions and are ready for this. "Today we are going to talk about our proposal for joint negotiations," Siliņa said. She also noted that if it is to be an EU-only mission, then everyone needs to come to an agreement, including about who will command the forces and what guarantees will be given to soldiers if they are sent on this mission. "We have ready-made scenarios, but we have to agree on this big framework," she said. Siliņa stressed that taking into account the current situation, it is necessary to be quite practical about the steps that Ukraine expects, including Ukraine's early accession to the EU, which, in her opinion, is the minimum that Europe can do. Background: French President Emmanuel Macron spoke in favour of sending European troops to Ukraine but stressed that this could only happen on a very limited scale and far from the conflict zones. Meanwhile, The Times reported that the UK is considering sending Typhoon fighter jets to Ukraine to carry out an air patrol mission. The UK thinks that such a move could help avoid the deployment of large numbers of troops on Ukrainian territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that it would be unacceptable for Russia to deploy troops from NATO member states on the territory of Ukraine after an agreement on the settlement of the war is reached. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
