China hit back at the European Union’s restrictions on its medical device makers while maintaining key exceptions, adding uncertainty to ties ahead of a high-stakes summit later this month.

China has hit the European Union with a retaliatory ban after the continent’s governing body decided to limit Chinese participation in public tenders for medical devices. Both the EU and China are escalating measures to sever ties and reliance on each other in critical sectors such as green technologies,

Facing growing chaos, the European Union and numerous other countries are seeking to forge a global trading nexus that is less vulnerable to American tariffs.

China hit back at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after she accused the nation of distorting trade and limiting access for Europe’s firms — a back-and-forth clouding the outlook for an upcoming summit.

With no progress on a host of disputes – including rare earths, electric vehicles, and the war in Ukraine – the summit scheduled to mark 50 years of relations between the European Union and China at the end of July in Beijing is expected to be shortened by a day.

Beijing says China repeatedly attempted to resolve issues through dialogue but EU insisted on taking restrictive measures - Anadolu Ajansı

In a sign of strain in relations, the Chinese government intended to shorten the two-day summit with EU leaders to just a day, News reported last week.