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Nissan President Makoto Uchida and his counterpart at Honda, Toshihiro Mibe, hold a joint news conference on their merger plans.

Beyond Japan, Volkswagen also stumbles in China as Germany’s auto giants struggle to compete in the EV race. The company planed to close plants in Germany, lay off tens of thousands of staff and downsize remaining plants in the country

Volkswagen workers protested potential plant closures and pay cuts as the company struggles with declining market share in China

In the era of renewable energy and electrification, it’s clear that German and Japanese automakers are trailing behind. How is it that new Chinese players—companies barely established—are excelling in EV production, while century-old German and Japanese firms are struggling?

The traditional industry model in Japan and Germany relies on a system where a few large companies support an entire domestic supply chain. These large companies sell products globally, feeding the domestic supply chain, where many of the companies are small in scale—often referred to as “hidden champions.” Though relatively small, they hold significant market share and form the backbone of the country’s economy.

Japan’s premiere clutch manufacturer, FCC has steadily expanded its business alongside the development of the auto industry.

China’s EV players, on the other hand, rely on a fully integrated and developed domestic supply chain, something those large Japanese and German automakers lack. This creates a dilemma:

First, relying on China’s supply chain allows them to produce competitive products, but it would lead to the bankruptcy of their own small domestic suppliers, shaking the national economy and causing a sharp decline in GDP.

Second, not relying on China’s supply chain would also lead these small companies to the same outcome, as the large companies experience a decline in sales and can no longer provide enough financial support for them.

Now, Japanese and German automakers face a critical choice: ensure their own survival or protect the national economy. When forced to decide, they would probably choose the former. However, the government is unlikely to allow such a choice, which is why we see a series of trade protection policies from the EU.

When forced to make a decision, self-preservation is likely to take precedence. However, governments are unlikely to allow companies to make such a choice, which is why we see a series of trade protection measures from the European Union.

While technology is certainly important, China’s dominance in the EV market is not just due to technological advantages, but also its supply chain. This is not merely about scale or, as some argue, labor cost. Let me give you an example: As a German company, if you have a new technology, product, or feature in an emerging industry, wouldn’t you need to go through a cycle of validation, application, feedback, and improvement? Where would you validate it? Where would you apply it? The answer is clear: the largest current and future market—China. You can’t exactly validate it in a small German town with fewer than 100,000 people, can you? Even if you consider the entire EU market, it may be large, but it is mature and lacks the vitality needed to foster a emerging industry.

In fact, since the third industrial revolution, no major industrial wave has originated from Europe. This is because Europe’s dominant industries have all been built upon the achievements of the second industrial revolution. These century-old companies largely rely on the advantage they established in the 19th century, along with their technological monopolies. As a result, they have little interest in investing in emerging industries.

Moreover, from a broader trend perspective, there is a shifting dynamic between China and the EU markets, with former gradually surpassing the latter in scale. When you come to China, you quickly realize how rapidly the market is evolving. If your R&D team is based in a small town in Germany, they will struggle to keep up with these fast-paced changes. Naturally, you would move your team to a more dynamic and expansive market—China. Moreover, China has well-developed infrastructure, a stable policy and economic environment, and a highly efficient supply chain. So, why not move all production to China? Why stay in a small German town, relying on outdated market analysis, working in isolation, and incurring high R&D and production costs to produce expensive products, only to be easily outpaced by competitors in China?

Some might ask, why not move production to Vietnam or India? Here is catch: even if you produce in Vietnam or India, you would still rely on China’s supply chain. Meanwhile, both Vietnam and India struggle just to maintain a stable power supply, let alone develop a significant EV market. Even if production is set up there, most of the products will still end up being sold in China. So why bother? This is why China’s supply chain advantage is not just a matter of technology—it’s an inevitable historical trend. It can’t be curbed by a few technologies, labor cost points, or a certain percentage of tariffs. China’s advantage stems from its scale and size, as well as the hardworking, innovative, and resilient spirit of its people.

In November, BYD became the first automaker to produce 10 million EVs.

Let me give you another example: Take high-speed rail. Over the past six decades, Japan has built only about 3,000 kilometers of high-speed rail. In contrast, China has constructed 46,000 kilometers in just over a decade, stretching from temperate to tropical regions, from plateaus and frozen soils to karst landscapes.

It is clear that which country has more experience and technology in construction. China’s high-speed rail system handles over 3 billion passengers annually, which is equivalent to 20 years of operations for Japan’s Shinkansen. So, it’s equally clear which country has gained more experience in operation and management. Here’s the thing: Compared to the EU countries, Japan has the largest economy, the largest population, and the second-largest land area.

In China, an emerging industry with around 5,000 companies competing fiercely for just one year may develop at a pace that would take an industry with only 50 companies in other countries two decades to reach. This is why, in the future, the only country that could challenge China is the United States. However, it would be the United States of the 20th century—the one that shaped the global industrial landscape—rather than the deindustrialized, protectionist, and isolationist version of the U.S. we see today.

The post Why Are Century-old German Automakers Failing at EVs? first appeared on China Academy.

Over 2 billion people in more than 160 countries celebrate Christmas, and a small Chinese city called Yiwu, with a population of under 2 million, produces 80% of the world’s Christmas decorations, providing around $70 billion worth of goods globally each year.  

That’s an amazing lever, isn’t it? However, this year, due to the Red Sea Crisis, Yiwu’s market share could rise to 100% in the EU.  

Yiwu, located in Zhejiang, a coastal province near Shanghai, is the heart of Christmas decoration production. Typically, orders are placed in February or March, shipped by July, sold by wholesalers to retailers between August and October, and finally stocked on shelves before Christmas.  

According to the World Bank,Yiwu International Trade City is the world’s largest small commodities market.

But this year, to avoid the conflicts in the Red Sea, many ships are now being rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, with some even using Arctic routes. These detours add over 4,000 miles to shipping journeys. According to Reuters, average transit times have increased by about 50%, making it likely that Yiwu’s Christmas decorations will miss the holiday season.  

Fortunately, Yiwu is one of the starting points for the China-Europe freight trains, a 13,000-kilometer railway network that delivers goods directly to Germany, France, and Spain in just 21 days. This rail line has become a crucial alternative to traditional shipping, with more European retailers turning to Chinese products. According to Yiwu Customs data released on December 19, the city’s trade volume reached over $70 billion in the first 11 months of 2024, a 17.6% year-on-year increase.  

Most of the transportation needs of these new orders are met by rail. China Railway Group reports that between January and July, the China-Europe freight trains ran 11,403 trips, transporting 1.226 million TEUs, with year-on-year increases of 12% and 11%, respectively. While the railway company has raised 20% prices to manage demand, many Chinese businesses are still desiring to secure more space.  

Ironically, just two years ago, Bloomberg called this rail project a waste of money, as it was twice as expensive as sea shipping. But now, safety and speed have proven priceless. By December 2024, the China-Europe freight trains have reached 227 cities in 25 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, covering the entire Eurasian continent and ensuring that trade between Asia and Europe can continue regardless of disruptions in the shipping industry.  

Meanwhile, U.S. retailers are nearing the edge. Despite Yiwu-made Christmas decorations being cheaper than domestic ones in the U.S., newly imposed tariffs against China have significantly increased costs for American retailers.  

A December 21st Bloomberg report revealed that Party City, which sells costumes and party goods, filed for bankruptcy, planning to close approximately 700 stores. This could trigger a vicious cycle in the retail industry, as competitors are forced to offload inventory. If several retailers do this at once, it floods the market with discounted products, forcing others to lower their prices, ultimately weakening profits.  

The situation is already unfolding. U.S. furniture retailer Conn’s was among the first to start dumping inventory after filing for bankruptcy in July. The trend accelerated in September with Big Lots, followed by Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores the following month, all holding going-out-of-business sales.  

No matter what, we hope everyone enjoys a perfect Christmas, and that every child, regardless of color or belief, can enjoy the decorations with reasonable prices, and the priceless gift of safety.

The post China is Saving EU’s Christmas from Red Sea Crisis first appeared on China Academy.

China’s 600 km/h high-speed maglev traffic system rolled off the line in 2021

In 2013, Elon Musk proposed the idea of a pod that could whisk passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in just 35 minutes, describing it as “feeling a lot like being on an airplane.” Now, China is turning this vision into reality.

According to South China Morning Post on December 1, a research team from Southeast University found that simply laying two parallel cables inside the wall of the tube could provide 5G connectivity to China’s new generation of high-speed train—maglev hyperloop train.

The maglev hyperloop system, also known as the “high-speed flying train,” is designed to reach a top speed of 1,000 km/h, faster than most airplanes. The superconducting maglev technology levitates the train to eliminate friction as it travels through the specially designed low-vacuum tube. The near-vacuum conditions reduce air resistance, allowing the train to “fly” just above the ground at ultra-high speeds.

China’s maglev hyperloop train developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation

For years, many believed Elon Musk’s dream of hyperloop trains would be the first to break through. A former SpaceX subsidiary, the Boring Company, spun out as a separate business in 2018, did build a few short tunnels, including a mile-long prototype tube near SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. However, other proposed loops never materialized. In 2023, American startup Hyperloop One, which was highly touted by Musk and had secured over $450 million since its launch in 2014, quietly shut its doors.

Hyperloop tubes tested by Hyperloop One

However, In August of this year, Chinese scientists successfully ran a train in a 2km low-vacuum tube. According to Science and Technology Daily, during the test, the train could navigate accurately, stay stable and stop safely. The system, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), integrates space technology with ground transportation. According to CASIC, the current test results have surpassed 622 km/h, while the world’s fastest operational train, China’s Shanghai Maglev, can only reach 460 km/h. Clearly, this sci-fi technology is no longer just a fantasy—China is making it happen.

Moreover, China’s high-speed flying train offers more than just shorter travel times. Traditionally, airplanes have been the preferred choice for long-distance travel. For example, traveling from Shanghai to Beijing by plane takes about 2 hours, while even the current fastest high-speed train takes about 4 and a half hours.

However, airplanes produce significantly more carbon emissions compared to trains. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the transport sector is the second-largest source of carbon emissions globally, with aviation emissions rising rapidly over the past two decades. In 2019, aviation alone contributed approximately 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide, accounting for nearly 2.8% of global emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Additionally, aviation emissions have been growing even faster than any other transport and have more than doubled between 1990 and 2019.

Global CO2 emissions from aviation have quadrupled since the 1960s

But now, China’s “flying train” offers a faster and more environmentally friendly alternative to airplanes. It could cut travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to just 90 minutes while significantly lowering carbon emissions and other pollutants, as it is fully powered by electricity. Currently, China’s high-speed rail network has already led to a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that the high-speed railway has annually reduced over 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, equal to 1.3% of greenhouse gas emissions in China’s transport sector.

On the other hand, the design of this high-speed “flying train” also shows China’s efforts to protect ecosystems. In fact, road traffic and transportation development have posed a threat to the habitats and migration of wild animals. However, this has been a key consideration in the design and construction of China’s railway network. For example, on a section of the Shenzhen-Maoming Railway in Guangdong Province, China has built the world’s first fully enclosed noise barrier for high-speed trains. The barrier, which is over 1 mile long and costs nearly $25 million, was constructed to protect a local bird sanctuary housing more than 30,000 herons. According to Chinese official media, the barrier effectively reduces noise, vibration, and light when the high-speed trains pass through.

The  arched steel structure, with sound insulation and concrete acoustic boards, is less than 1 mile from a local bird sanctuary

Now, the new high-speed train is designed to travel entirely inside a low-vacuum tube, allowing it to not only reach greater speeds but also significantly cut down on noise pollution and minimize its environmental impact along the route.

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Anna Hammarström and her families

This year, Anna was pregnant with their 12th child. This pregnancy came from a frozen embryo that the couple preserved years ago. Originally stored in Ukraine, the embryo had to be rescued and relocated to Georgia due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War before being implanted into Anna’s uterus.

Anna loves the feeling of being pregnant. Despite her age, the hormonal changes bring her energy and vitality. To mitigate the risks associated with her advanced maternal age, she follows a strict diet and takes daily walks with her dog, Bella.

The baby’s movements were strengthening as it grows. However, a routine ultrasound revealed that Anna’s placenta might be improperly positioned. Then, she is transferred to Lund University Hospital for further evaluation.

At Lund, specialists diagnosed Anna with a severe pregnancy complication: invasive placenta, or placenta accreta, a condition where the placenta grows into the uterine wall. This could lead to life-threatening hemorrhaging during delivery.

The condition is more commonly seen in women who have undergone previous C-sections. The placental villi can grow along uterine scars and invade the uterine muscle layer. Anna, who has triplets in her first pregnancy and twins in her second, has undergone three C-sections, significantly increasing her risk of developing this condition compared to the average pregnant woman. In Sweden, approximately 50 cases of invasive placenta are reported annually.

The Swedish specialists proposed a treatment plan to deliver Anna’s baby several weeks before the due date via C-section, combined with a hysterectomy. This approach is designed to prevent severe hemorrhaging during the detachment of the placenta and is considered the “gold standard” for managing invasive placenta in Europe and the United States.

However, Anna refused to accept this surgical plan. Despite being 58 and having implanted her last frozen embryo, she was determined to keep her womb. As a doctor, she understood that removing the uterus is a major operation with potential risks and long-term complications. “For me, it’s about how I perceive myself as a woman,” she explained. “Why should I remove a healthy organ? The same applies to any part of my body.” Doctors at Lund University Hospital warned that if she insisted on keeping her uterus, there was at most a 50% chance of preserving it—a probability Anna found unacceptably low.

Thanks to her profession, Anna was skilled at researching medical information online. After several days of relentless searching, she discovered a solution that promised a safe delivery while preserving her womb: traveling to China for a C-section.

Invasive placenta typically occurs in women who have undergone previous C-sections.

China is known for its historically high C-section rates but saw relatively few cases of women with prior C-sections having additional pregnancies due to the strict one-child policy. However, since the introduction of the two-child and three-child policies, this situation has changed significantly. Data suggests that the incidence of placenta accreta among Chinese women is 1 in 250, compared to the global average of 1 in 5,000—19 times higher. This has given Chinese doctors extensive experience in managing invasive placenta cases.

Without hesitation, Anna sent an email to Dr. Wang Hongmei at Shandong Provincial Hospital in northern China. In the email, she explained her situation and mentioned that she had come across Dr. Wang’s published research on surgical techniques for invasive placenta. Anna expressed her desire to travel to Shandong for a C-section under Dr. Wang’s care.

Dr. Wang replied within hours, confirming that Anna could undergo surgery there but cautioning against the long journey from Sweden, citing safety concerns.

However, this response did not deter Anna. Once she learned that surgery was possible, she immediately began applying for a visa and booking flights. At 35 weeks pregnant, she successfully flew to Jinan, Shandong Province, with her husband. When Dr. Wang Hongmei heard that her Swedish patient had visited museums and shopped for gifts for her children after arriving, she promptly called Anna to the hospital to arrange for her admission.

Anna was impressed by the efficiency of blood collection in China’s public hospitals. “Patients line up at the nurse’s station, and when it’s your turn, you just stick your arm out” she remarked.

After a series of tests, Dr. Wang assured her that she had a 99% chance of preserving her uterus, a significantly higher estimate than the 50% given by specialists at Lund University Hospital. Dr. Wang explained that between 2016 and 2018, during the early years of China’s two-child policy, she performed 2–3 invasive placenta surgeries every week, which made her confident in this surgery.

Dr.Wang and Anna

The C-section was performed under spinal anesthesia, allowing Anna to remain fully conscious throughout the procedure. The surgery lasted about an hour, with surgeons entering through an old C-section scar. The total blood loss was comparable to that of a standard C-section. After the surgery, Dr. Wang explained in simple English that although Anna’s placenta covered a large area, it had not deeply invaded the uterine wall.

Anna and her husband named their 12th child Rosa. Due to being born prematurely, Rosa was placed in the neonatal intensive care unit for a few days. After being discharged, the family stayed in China for another month, then returned to Sweden, carrying a variety of gifts from Dr. Wang.

Once back in Sweden, Anna set a new goal: to invite Dr. Wang to Sweden, so she could share her surgical techniques with Swedish doctors.

A reporter asked Anna, “How do you view the risks of being pregnant at your age?”

Anna replied, “I’m not someone who particularly enjoys taking risks. I don’t go skydiving, I don’t speed while driving, and I don’t do extreme skiing. I’ve assessed my physical condition and believe I can handle the pregnancy. All the risks can be managed with proper monitoring.”

The reporter then asked, “But wasn’t traveling to China in the later stages of your pregnancy a risk?”

Anna responded, “I wasn’t worried. I have confidence in the medical care I could receive in China. Swedish doctors aren’t as experienced with dealing with this kind of complication.”

In fact, Anna is not the first Swede to travel a long way to China for medical care. Pernilla, a 33-year-old Swedish woman, suffers from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In 2017, a drug called Spinraza, which can effectively treat SMA, was approved for use. However, Swedish authorities determined that the cost-effectiveness of providing the drug to adults was too low. As a result, Sweden only offers the treatment to SMA patients under 18. At the time, there were 72 SMA patients across Sweden who did not have access to the new drug, and Pernilla was among them. Eventually, Pernilla discovered that the drug was priced at just one-seventh of its cost in Sweden on the Chinese market. As a result, she now travels to China every quarter to obtain the medication.

Alma, a 2-year-old Swedish girl, was diagnosed in May of this year with a fatal metabolic disorder called MLD. The cost of a single dose of the medication to treat MLD in Sweden is over $2 million, and Swedish hospitals refused to administer the drug to Alma. Subsequently, Alma’s parents discovered that Chinese doctors were able to treat this condition, with treatment costs being ten times lower than in Sweden.

In Sweden, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, people are traveling to the other side of the globe to seek medical treatment. Meanwhile, China has not turned these international patients away, offering them the same affordable and efficient care as it provides to its own citizens.

The post Sweden Says Only 50% Chance to Save My Womb—China Promises 99% first appeared on China Academy.

Kaja Kallas during the confirmation hearing

First, China is significantly wealthier than it was in 2016. On November 5, the Chinese government released the latest report of state-owned assets. According to this report, as of 2023, the total assets of state-owned enterprises amounted to 371.9 trillion yuan, which is about $51 trillion. Back in 2017, when Trump began his first term, this figure was just $25 trillion. If Trump couldn’t take down China eight years ago, how can the EU possibly believe he’ll succeed today, when China is nearly twice as wealthy?

Chinese state media also released a video, showing China’s state-owned assets, including assets of state-owned enterprises, state-owned financial capital equity, financial enterprise assets, administrative and institutional state-owned assets, state-owned land, and water resources.

Notably, these assets are primarily concentrated in public services such as communications, mining, transportation and energy. By boosting country’s self-resilience in these key sectors, the Chinese government has significantly reduced costs for domestic manufacturers. For instance, on November 13, China completed the world’s biggest million-kilowatt offshore PV farm, capable of generating 1.78 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually—enough to power 2.67 million people for a year. With lower costs, it’s no wonder that “Made in China” products can offer competitive prices while steadily improving in quality. Since the fundamental competitiveness is from these state-owned assets that rely on 0% foreign investment, the EU’s threat is just noise to China.

China’s first MW-level offshore PV farm successfully connected to national power grid on November 13

Second, thanks to Biden spamming over 16,000 failed sanctions on Russia, China has stepped in as the perfect trading partner over the past two years. At the 2024 BRICS Summit, China and Russia signaled deeper cooperation on energy and financial aspects. Moreover, Biden’s sanctions have even pushed Russia toward developing a mutual defense treaty with North Korea, effectively easing China’s security burden in Northeast Asia.

Well, for the U.S., the Washington Post tried to spin the narrative that Trump still has a good personal friendship with Putin, falsely claiming that they had a phone conversation on November 7. However, on 11, Russia’s spokesperson denied it and highlighted that Putin had no specific plans to speak to Trump.

Apart from Russia, China has gained more friends in the Global South through its Belt and Road Initiative. According to the government website, China has signed more than 200 Belt and Road cooperation agreements with over 150 countries, accounting for more than 70% of all countries in the world. As of 2023, two-way investment with these countries has surpassed $270 billion.

In addition, Switzerland, Poland, Italy and other 7 EU members are also part of China’s BRI. This has left some in China wondering whether Kaja Kallas is trying to help the United States divide the EU. If that’s the case, her threats have almost done the job.

When Trump announced tariffs on Chinese exports in 2018, he said the levies would make the U.S. a “much stronger, much richer nation.” However, Americans now only get a much stronger National Debt and a much richer Wall Street.

As China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the UN, “Sanctions and pressure will not bring monopolistic advantages, suppressing and containing others will not solve problems at home.” Compared to China, people in the EU are facing “higher costs” of their gas, food and healthcare bills, but Kaja Kallas chose to blind to it.

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I saw it with the naked eye.  

The past 3 days I have spent at the MedTech Messe in Stuttgart. There were some 200 exhibitors from all over the globe. Many German companies, subcontractors to the medical device industry. Companies from Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, etc. Also 2 American, 1 Japanese, 2 Flemish and 7 Chinese companies.

The national flag of all these countries was shown at the entrance, except for the Chinese flag.

Copying or benchmarking?

Many western companies were complaining about “the Chinese, who’re copying our products”. But digging a bit deeper with the question: “Did they bluntly copied your products ?”  or: “Did they broke any of your patents ?” the answers became remarkably vague or nugatory.

Chinese manufacturers of medical devices and their component subcontractors (finally) learned the art of technical benchmarking. They no longer copy western products. They collect the 3 or 5 best in class products of their competitors, analyse it and design an entirely new product with a collection of top characteristics of the best products of their competitors.

When I taught Technical Benchmarking at Qingdao University back in 2010, it was a completely unknown novelty in China. But today, technical benchmarking is a common practice in China.

Technical benchmarking is in use for several decades in the whole Western automotive (and other) industries; I was happy to see that the Chinese also adopted this technique and dropped the blunt copying addiction.

Technology

Already 20 years ago, almost all ordinary, soft, indwelling lung or vein catheters for western hospitals were made in China. They were all made in PVC, which was at that time regarded as a medical grade plastic material.
Today they’re still made in China, much more accurate, softer and in a range of much more body friendly materials.

At the first photo, there are two needles. The left one is made in pure silver, the other one is in titanium, the diameter is 0.64 mm. Both these needles are made by impact-extrusion !

At the second photo is a brain surgery catheter with a diameter of 0.3 mm. There’s no western company able to make this product.

Both these processing techniques used to be very common in the western industry. Toothpaste tubes for example were made by the impact-extrusion process. But the process is now much further developed, the new fine tricks of the profession are no longer present in the western industry. Today it is China that holds the new patents for these manufacturing processes.

Quality

All leading top companies of the Deutsche Feinmechanik were present at the MedTec Messe. They exhibit their tiny micro products, small gears and mechanical robots that do their work within the human body, some barely visible with the naked eye.

But again, asking them about their limits in technology, the tolerances and reliability of these micro components, they suddenly become very insecure and vague. None of them dared to guarantee a tolerance of 1 micron (1 μm,  1×10−6 meter) on their products. I did not tell them that back in 2015, I have made products of that accuracy level in Wuxi, China.

Today, most of the IPP (intrathecal pain pump) and IDP (intrathecal drug pump) devices, ICD (implant cardioverter defibrillator), AED (automated external defibrillator) are all made in China. They are meeting the highest quality and reliability requirements, often at a cost of 1/4th of the cost in Europe.

The Chinese exhibitors

The Chinese companies at the MedTec Messe were all remarkably modest. They displayed their products as if they were ordinary items. No marketing language, no bluff, just technical information. That makes me wonder whether China is aware of its technological lead ?

The complainers

The medical device industry in Europe is under high pressure, they’re undergoing the daily competition with China. Some refuse to talk about this issue, others openly accuse China of copying western products. Which is lame and unfounded. (see here above) The “copying” blaming has become an artificial narrative which is, I suspect, prompted by the mainstream media.

A few of these companies know what it all comes to. They realise that they’re doomed. A CEO of a company that I spoke there at the MedTec Messe became quite emotional and frustrated. He named the lack of top engineering education as one of the main causes. And our government, instead of supporting us, is actually boycotting us, he said. And: “In five years, it’s all over with my company“

Conclusion

In summary, I must conclude that the medical device industry in Europe is in big trouble.  Those who’re aware what’s going on at this globe are looking for cooperation or joint ventures with Chinese companies. But most of them do not have that broad view on global affairs and are doomed. At a conference, organised by AstraZeneca China in Wuxi on 7 and 8 June 2024, the industry experts came to the same conclusion, but the report by ChinaDaily did not put it so clearly.

Editor’s Note: This article was published on June 21, 2024, on Frans Vandenbosch’s website, https://yellowlion.org/.

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