(Yicai) June 5 -- Exports of Chinese innovative medical devices are unlikely to be affected by the European Union's new decision to restrict Chinese companies from participating in public procurement tenders, according to an expert.

Chinese firms are already leading the global medical device industry by innovation, a senior expert told Yicai. Some of their products and technologies are at the pioneer level, while others still possess strong competitiveness, making them almost irreplaceable, they added.

On June 2, the EU backed a proposal to impose a five-year ban on Chinese companies participating in public procurement tenders for medical devices worth more than EUR5 million (USD5.7 million). The move comes after the European Commission claimed it found evidence that China favored domestic medical devices during its procurement tenders.

China's Ministry of Commerce replied the following day by expressing strong opposition to the EU's ban. "This unilateral measure distorts fair competition and creates new trade barriers," a ministry spokesperson told the media, China Global Television Network reported. "China firmly opposes such protectionist practices."

The EU's restrictions target medical devices valued at over EUR5 million, which are mainly medical imagining equipment, so they will not impact the company's business, a representative from a Chinese manufacturer and exporter of surgical devices, such as staplers and harmonic scalpers, told Yicai.

The medical device industry is characterized by rapid development, active trade, and high-value-added products. In recent years, many Chinese firms have laid out plans to expand overseas, with some leading ones, such as United Imaging and Yuyue Medical Equipment and Supply, having already accelerated their global layout.

At the China International Medical Equipment Fair held in Shanghai in April, domestic medical device manufacturers showcased innovative, high-value-added medical devices and equipment, including surgical robots and medical imaging devices equipped with three-dimensional visual navigation.

Editor: Futura Costaglione