Since accession to the WTO in 2001, China’s pharmaceutical trade gained rapid development. Chinese medicine trade in 2001 totaled only $ 9.5 billion, by 2010 this figure had reached $ 60.2 billion, an increase of over 10 years ago, more than 5 times. Among them, the imports increased from $ 4.1 billion to 205 billion U.S. dollars, about 20% compound annual growth rate of exports from 54 billion dollars to nearly $ 40 billion, the annual compound growth rate of 25%, import and export growth in excess of the overall foreign trade level.
Decades, China’s pharmaceutical market continues to expand foreign trade, import and export growth in the country from 196 to 221, covering almost all the world’s countries (regions). In addition, Chinese medicine to optimize the export structure, formed bulk drug products, based on high-tech products export-oriented development model. As Chinese medicine raw materials industries, the pharmaceutical exports has always been dominant, ten years exports increased from $ 2.8 billion to 203 billion dollars, saccharin sodium, vitamin C, penicillin industrial salt, vitamin E and drugs paracetamol and other bulk materials exports have accounted for 90% of world trade, 65%, 60%, 44% and 40%.
Decades, China’s pharmaceutical market, the main foreign trade has undergone profound changes, plant extracts from a state-led, foreign investment, supplemented by private and other business structures gradually changed to private, foreign-led, diverse forms of ownership and common development of a new pattern. Among them, the state-owned enterprise market share from 60% in 2001 decreased significantly from 20% in 2010, foreign-funded enterprises rose from 32% to 42%, private enterprises increased from less than 8% to 37%.
Accession to the WTO, China has significantly improved the overall environment of pharmaceutical trade, but with the foreign markets, the removal or reduction of tariff barriers, technical barriers and trade frictions over the rise before the WTO, also significantly increased the difficulty of response.
Deal with technical barriers to trade in, since 2001, Health Insurance Association several times through international dialogue, reflect the demands and maintain industry interest. Registration Act for the EU’s traditional medicine in Chinese exports may cause serious obstruction problems, Health Insurance Association on behalf of domestic industry under the framework of trade barriers through the WTO notification mechanism for formal concerns and views of the industry, causing the EU to focus on and respond, To properly resolve relevant issues played a positive role.
In response to trade friction, the decade of the lead in organizing the Chamber of Commerce over 30 foreign anti-dumping and safeguard measures responding to the survey work, and has launched an industry representative organizations as injury defense. Tartaric acid in the EU anti-dumping cases on me, resveratrol including many cases, some of the companies involved to a zero tax rate for the ruling, or the investigating authorities to reach a reasonable quantity / price promise settlement.
Overall, pharmaceutical trade friction cases in the WTO the following characteristics: First, no significant increase in the number of incidence; the second is involved in product exports hit record highs, including penicillin industrial salt for me in India and 6-APA-sponsored anti-dumping investigations involving more than $ 200 million, China’s pharmaceutical industry is by far the anti-dumping cases involving the highest amount; third country to initiate an investigation was the diversity, the emerging pharmaceutical markets such as Brazil, Russia, Argentina and other pharmaceutical products, I have initiated anti-dumping or safeguard measures, pharmaceutical raw materials while traditional markets such as the European Union, China, India and other trade remedy cases as the main sponsors of the situation has not changed, the overall trade friction involved into diversified country; four is involved in drug products from raw materials to medical device extension of the field, including patient monitors, including the high-tech medical products become the new target of investigation.