Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, it has had a serious impact on international trade and the world economy, and has brought challenges to the global public health system. The medical and anti-epidemic materials and related medical equipment produced in my country have contributed an important force to the global fight against the epidemic. The rapid growth of the export of anti-epidemic medical equipment has become a bright spot in my country's foreign trade.

According to the statistics of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products (hereinafter referred to as the Medical Insurance Chamber of Commerce), my country's medical equipment import and export trade volume will exceed 100 billion US dollars in 2020, of which the export value will be approximately 73 billion US dollars.

my country’s medical device exports continued to increase substantially in the context of the epidemic. The main reason was that when the medical device industry chain and supply chain in many countries and regions were severely damaged or even shut down, my country’s industrial system took the lead to resume normal operation, and the development forces that have accumulated over the years have exploded. , The competitive advantage in the international market is further highlighted.
In the first half of 2021, my country's exports of medical device products declined compared with the same period last year, mainly due to the decrease in exports of masks, protective clothing, and ventilators in epidemic prevention materials. However, the growth rate of the export of new coronavirus detection reagents has been relatively stable. The Indian epidemic has prompted a surge in the export of oxygen generators, the export of traditional medical device products has returned to normal, and the growth rate of medical device products and the structure of export products have gradually returned to rationality.

The import and export market maintains healthy development

Statistics from the Medical Insurance Chamber of Commerce show that from January to June this year, my country’s medical device import and export trade volume was 61.504 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 23.86%. Among them, the export value was 44.388 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 31.32%; the import value was 17.116 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year decrease. An increase of 5.96%.
The decline in export value was mainly due to the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, the global market's demand for epidemic prevention consumables represented by masks and protective clothing decreased, and the export value fell by 75.05% year-on-year. At the same time, the epidemic situation in various countries and regions has eased, the local manufacturing industry has recovered, and the degree of dependence on my country's defense epidemic products has decreased. The export of imaging diagnosis and treatment equipment related to the epidemic also declined slightly, but the export of other traditional and superior medical equipment resumed growth.

Although the export volume has decreased significantly compared with last year, looking at the development trend of my country's medical device import and export trade in recent years, the healthy development trend of medical device export is obvious. It is worth mentioning that in the first half of this year, my country's medical device exports accounted for 53.53%, breaking the previous situation that western medicine products have long occupied half of the medical product exports.
According to statistics, in the first half of this year, the United States was my country's largest medical device export market, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan, which together accounted for 49.09% of total exports. In addition, emerging markets along the “Belt and Road” are also important regions for my country's medical device exports. The export value is 14.137 billion US dollars, accounting for about 31.8%, and the proportion will further increase in the future.
From the perspective of exporting provinces, the top ten provinces in my country’s medical device export volume accounted for 89.92% in the first half of this year, further reflecting the high regional concentration of my country’s medical device exports. Major exporting provinces such as Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang all showed Obvious growth trend, among them, Guangdong's export volume ranks first.
In terms of imports, in the first half of this year, China's medical device imports amounted to US$17.116 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.96%. The main sources of imports are still the United States, Germany, and Japan, accounting for 53.39% of the total imports. Among imported products, catheter consumables, in vitro diagnostic reagents, and high-end medical equipment are the main varieties. In addition, the dependence on imports of core components and key raw materials is still relatively high. Among them, Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou are the main import cities of medical equipment.

In vitro diagnostics and massage health products performed well

In the first half of this year, in-vitro diagnostic products became one of the medical device varieties with the most significant export growth. In order to help prevent and control the global epidemic, my country's in vitro diagnostic companies are actively expanding their global business, and their export volume has shown a blowout. The detection reagents related to the new coronavirus antibody, antigen, nucleic acid and so on are favored by the global market, and the performance of the detection reagent companies is generally improving.
In the first half of this year, despite the decline in exports of other anti-epidemic materials, the export of new coronavirus detection reagents still increased significantly. According to statistics from the Medical Insurance Chamber of Commerce, in the first half of this year, the export value of my country's main in vitro diagnostic reagents (HS codes 38220010, 30021500, 38220090) was approximately US$7.909 billion, a year-on-year increase of 288%. Fujian, Zhejiang, and Beijing are the main provinces for the export of in vitro diagnostic reagents in my country.
Among them, the export value of self-test reagents was US$6.888 billion, accounting for 87.09%. The main export markets are concentrated in European countries and regions that have special authorizations for new coronavirus self-test reagent products, such as Germany and Austria. The large international market demand for new coronavirus self-test products is the main factor driving the export growth of new coronavirus detection reagents.

With the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, many companies have resumed exports of conventional in vitro diagnostic reagents, and their export volume has continued to increase. At present, the international market for in vitro diagnostic reagents has been enlarged. The establishment of overseas marketing channels as soon as possible and localized promotion in export destinations have become an important task for Chinese enterprises to explore the international market.
Affected by serious homogeneity, fierce low-price competition, and domestic centralized procurement price pressures, the in-vitro diagnostic industry has a serious "involution" phenomenon. The layout of the overseas market is of great significance to promote the upgrading of the industrial structure and enhance the competitiveness and influence of the industry.
According to data reported by Markets and Markets, the global IVD market is expected to grow from USD 84.5 billion in 2020 to USD 96 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 2.6%.

The global IVD market is unevenly distributed, with developed economies occupying major market shares. For example, the United States has a market share of 44.00%, Western Europe has a market share of 21.08%, and Japan has a share of 9.00%. The total share is as high as 74.08%. Developed countries and regional markets have entered a relatively stable and mature stage, and their growth has shown a slowdown.
In developing countries and some regions, in vitro diagnostics, as an emerging industry, presents the characteristics of a small base and high growth rate. It is expected that in emerging markets represented by India and Latin America, the growth rate of the in vitro diagnostics market will remain at 15%. ~20%, emerging markets will become the main overseas battlefield for my country's in vitro diagnostic product companies.
Affected by the epidemic at home, the global "home economy" has developed rapidly, and the export of household medical and healthcare products has grown strongly. Affected by the epidemic at the beginning of 2020, my country's exports of household medical and healthcare products were hit hard. However, relying on years of continuous innovation, long-term precipitation and development resilience in the industry, Chinese enterprises have overcome difficulties and withstood pressures to achieve a good record of export bucking the trend throughout the year.
In the first half of this year, as a traditional superior export product in my country's medical and healthcare products, massage and health care appliances have maintained rapid growth in exports. According to statistics from the Medical Insurance Chamber of Commerce, my country’s export volume of massage and health care appliances in the first half of this year reached US$2.96 billion, a year-on-year increase of 86.77%. They were exported to 200 countries and regions, especially the United States, Germany, South Korea, Japan and the United Kingdom showing demand for related products in my country. The market is still in short supply and the export volume is expected to reach US$5 billion this year.

Opportunities and challenges coexist on the road to international development

In 2021, medical devices will continue to occupy a leading position in my country's medical product exports. The international market's demand for my country's epidemic prevention materials has declined.

However, at the same time, European countries and regions have granted special authorizations for new coronavirus self-test reagent products, making the international market's demand for my country's new coronavirus detection reagent products relatively stable, and the demand for vaccine prefilled syringes and other related products has increased. India The epidemic has caused a surge in India’s demand for oxygen generators in my country, and the market has cyclical fluctuations. It is expected that the export volume of medical devices will slightly decrease compared with 2020. The total import and export volume is about 100 billion U.S. dollars. Traditional export markets such as the European Union and the United States, And emerging markets along the “Belt and Road” will be important export areas.
In the next few years, the international development of my country's medical devices will face the following risks and challenges: On the one hand, due to the general decline in foreign economic growth and the market being squeezed by epidemic prevention materials, the international market's ability to purchase ordinary medical materials has declined.
On the other hand, due to the impact of the epidemic, the restrictions on the exit of engineers and sales personnel have greatly affected the overseas marketing activities and the after-sales service of some exported large-scale equipment, which is not conducive to business promotion and sales activities. In addition, the surge in demand for the transportation of epidemic prevention materials will also lead to a decline in the speed of container circulation, resulting in an increase in logistics costs. Rising raw material and labor costs, and stricter supervision of cross-border e-commerce platforms will also further squeeze the export profits of enterprises.

In the short term, under the influence of the epidemic, the global dependence on China's medical device supply chain has increased. In the long run, the new crown pneumonia epidemic has become a catalyst for reshaping the global medical device industry. With the promulgation of policies to encourage the development of local industries in various countries and regions, international competition will become increasingly fierce, and Chinese products will face greater competition challenges in the global market. At the same time, however, my country’s emphasis on public health issues has been further deepened, the healthcare industry has ushered in a golden period of development, and the international status of China's healthcare industry will be further enhanced.