Photo via South China Morning Post

China and EU deadlocked on medical devices, still talking on PHEV curbs: source

Read the original at South China Morning Post ↗
Cite

Xu, X. (2026, September 25). China and EU deadlocked on medical devices, still talking on PHEV curbs: source. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3368811/china-and-eu-deadlocked-medical-devices-still-talking-phev-curbs-source?utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

South China Morning Post · collected 2026-09-25 · by Xiaofei Xu

Quick Summary

China and the EU are experiencing a deadlock in trade talks regarding medical devices, according to sources who described discussions as difficult due to the EU's inflexibility. Meanwhile, both sides continue to negotiate over potential import safeguards for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) from China. Vice-Minister Ling Ji of China’s commerce ministry met with the European Commission’s trade director general in Beijing this week to prepare for upcoming talks.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Beijing and Brussels remain deadlocked on trade in medical devices following discussions this week, with sources expressing frustration over the EU's inflexibility. Meanwhile, both sides are engaged in intensive consultations about the EU’s plan to launch import safeguards against Chinese-made plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). These talks took place as Vice-Minister of Commerce Ling Ji and the European Commission’s director general for trade and economic security, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, met on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for a second round of trade talks. The public procurement of medical devices and imports of Chinese PHEVs have been major points of tension between Beijing and Brussels.

Written for “China EU Trade Talks” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 China EU Trade Talks
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Deutsche Welle
Hedges 3 of 48 claims Outlet record 95/100
“The articles describe different events involving negotiations between China and other parties, with Article A focusing on US-China economic dialogue and Article B on EU-China trade issues.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles cover different aspects of Sino-European relations and separate discussions, not the same specific incident.”
South China Morning Post
Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 62/100
“The articles describe different aspects of Sino-European relations and negotiations, with distinct subjects (medical devices and PHEVs versus overall trade sanctions) and times.”
The Hindu
Hedges 11 of 29 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different trade-related events involving China and the EU versus the U.S., occurring at distinct times.”
South China Morning Post
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 62/100
“The articles describe different meetings between Chinese and EU officials on separate dates with distinct focuses.”
Semafor
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 5 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss similar trade tensions between China and EU but describe different aspects of the ongoing disputes, not a single specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
4
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 4 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
62/100
South China Morning Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

South China Morning Post · 3791 article(s) · 8 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Xiaofei Xu
16 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Former CIA deputy director’s call to repeal Obama-era ban on economic espionage comes as Beijing rushes to protect trade secrets A former CIA official has called for Washington to spy on foreign companies to help US firms stay ahead in the technology race, in what would represent a break from long-standing US policy amid intensifying competition with China.
🔮 Chinese students in Paris hunker down as city braces for more mass protests Most students say the violence has not put them off living in France, though they worry the unrest could boost the far-right For many Chinese students living in Paris, the events last Saturday were their first taste of a major French protest turned violent.
🔮 Could Europe’s cost-of-living protests sharpen EU-China trade tensions?
🔮 Beijing is “willing to continue” fast-tracking licenses for rare earth mineral exports to Europe, while the sides will continue negotiations on reducing tariffs and creating minimum price deals that would allow Chinese electric vehicles to enter the EU market at a lower duty rate, according to the statement.
🔮 Chinese firms based in Europe said they hoped the talks could achieve some “limited progress” to help stabilise the trade relationship, while European analysts remained cautious about the potential outcome.
🔮 While Renault hailed it as an example of the group’s dedication to the factory, some workers voiced concerns: the assembly line would create only a handful of jobs, they said, and its products could directly compete with the plant’s other wares, risking further unemployment.
🔮 It left her with a question: how could a railway be so empty, clean and punctual, and still make money?
🔮 The list now includes 18 chemicals, all of which could be used in fentanyl production.
🔮 In a first, top European design prize awarded to €20 uniform for China’s delivery drivers Developed with the assistance of Jack Ma, designers aimed to bestow dignity on the drivers, an ‘important profession’, the lead designer says Taobao Shangou, Alibaba’s instant commerce and on-demand delivery service that was revamped last year, won a top French Design Award prize on Saturday for its delivery worker uniform, marking the first time the prize was awarded for a design for frontline workers. “We think the [Taobao Shangou] suit design would transform delivery workwear into a recognisable professional uniform, helping reshape how society sees this essential profession,” said Dario Olivero, chair of the award’s organising committee.
Also by Xiaofei Xu
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 16 articles by Xiaofei Xu →

Topics

Beijing Brussels China Chinese the European Commission’s

Subjects

China GPE · 4× Beijing GPE · 3× Brussels GPE · 3× Chinese NORP · 2× Ditte Juul Jorgensen PERSON · 1× Ling Ji PERSON · 1× The European Commission ORG · 1× the European Commission’s ORG · 1× the Ministry of Commerce ORG · 1×

Narrative

Sources on the Chinese side recently described the talks as difficult and expressed frustration over the EU’s inflexibility Beijing and Brussels remain “deadlocked” on trade in medical devices following discussions in Beijing this week, a source said, adding that “intensive consultations” were under way about Brussels’ plan to launch import safeguards against made-in-China plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
2026-09-25 · South China Morning Post
China and EU deadlocked on medical devices, still talking on PHEV curbs: source · assertive framing

Claims (4 extracted, 0 hedged)

China and EU deadlocked on medical devices, still talking on PHEV curbs: asserted
China → deadlocke → curbs
Sources on the Chinese side recently described the talks as difficult and expressed frustration over the EU’s inflexibility Beijing and Brussels remain “deadlocked” on trade in medical devices following discussions in Beijing this week, a source said, adding that “intensive consultations” were under way about Brussels’ plan to launch import safeguards against made-in-China plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). asserted
consultations → describe → vehicles
Vice-Minister of Commerce Ling Ji – China’s deputy international trade representative – held discussions with Ditte Juul Jorgensen, the European Commission’s director general for trade and economic security, on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for a second round of trade talks, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement issued on Thursday. asserted
Ministry → hold → Thursday
The European Commission declined to comment, while China’s commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. asserted
ministry → decline → comment
💬Give feedback · no sign-in needed

No sign-in needed for now. Your note is sent without a name, so it cannot be answered.

🕘History 🎫Support