According to the import and export data from the Customs, in the first half of this year, the volume of medical device trade was $18.87 billion USD, increased by 3.3% on a year-on-year basis, with drop growth rate of 4.2% compared with that in the previous year.

Among them, the amount of exports was $9.9 billion USD, decreased by 2.1% on a year-on-year basis, with drop growth rate of 7.8% compared with that in the previous year, as the first decrease of exports in recent 5 years. The amount of imports was $8.971 billion USD, decreased by 9.87% on a year-on-year basis, with nearly flat drop growth rate compared with that in the previous year.

(Table 1) Structural Statistics of Import & Export Medical Device Products in the First Half of 2016

                        (Global Medical Device Network)

Decrease of Exports

In the first half, China exported medical devices to a total of 223 countries and regions, and the amount of exports was $9.9 billion USD, decreased by 2.1% on a year-on-year basis.      In view of a single market, USA, Japan and HK (China) are the main export markets of China and the amount of exports was $3.98 billion USD, accounting for 40.2% of the total amount of exports in China. Among the top ten markets of exports, exports in HK (China), South Korea, India, France and Britain markets rose slightly, while those in USA, Japan, Netherlands, Australia and Germany decreased. USA market had an especially significant amount of exports of 26%, decreased by 6.32% on year-to-year basis. It was mainly because that the uncertainty of economic recovery in USA of the fist half intensified made the core rate of inflation unable to approach 2% as expected, and the overall demand was insufficient.

Good Growth of Imports

(Table 2) Market Statistics of Imports in the First Half of 2016

                        (Global Medical Device Network)

In the first half of the year, import medical devices were $ 8.97billion USD, increased by 9.9% on a year-on-year basis. The sources prominently were USA, Germany and Japan, whose total amount of imports was 60.9%. Among the top ten import countries, the amount of imports in Switzerland and Britain decreased by 6.2% and 8.3% respectively, while that in other countries increased differently, among which France had a biggest increase in amount by 26.2%. In the import products, equipment for medical diagnosis and treatment is the biggest category. Eight items in the top ten medical devices are equipment for medical diagnosis and treatment. Among them, high-end equipment for medical diagnosis and treatment including apparatus for optical ray, color ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, X-ray tomography instrument, are all at the forefront.