As the Sino-US trade war continues to intensify, how can domestic instruments and meters establish a foothold in the market?

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　At 20:00 on August 8, the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China issued a statement announcing List 2 of goods subject to additional tariffs on those imported from the United States; a 25% tariff would be imposed on these goods starting at 12:00 on August 23, 2018. The announcement **contains 333 product items, including fiber optics and optical cables, MRI systems, medical instruments, monitoring equipment, as well as various other instruments and components in this category. http://www.jiweimeter.com/uploads/image/20180810/1533891177.jpg Just prior to that, in the tariff list that the United States made public on June 15 and implemented on July 6, there were 146 types of precision instruments and equipment in categories such as optics, lasers, and medical devices; these accounted for 1.23% of the total value of U.S. imports from China. In addition, the additional tariffs applied to more than a hundred types of raw materials and components used in various manufacturing industries as well. 　　Clearly, the instrumentation industry has been drawn into this war without gunpowder. However, as this Sino-US trade war continues, it might just be a good opportunity for domestic instruments to establish a foothold in the instrumentation market. 　　As mentioned earlier, both China and the United States have imposed import tariffs on each other’s optical and medical instruments to varying degrees, but their intentions are entirely different. It is undeniable that China’s current instrumentation market is characterized by imported instruments dominating the high-end segment, while domestic instruments occupy the mid- to low-end markets. In 2017 alone, the total value of imports of instrumentation in China’s 31 provinces and municipalities reached 110.39 billion US dollars. Does this mean that China’s instrumentation industry relies on imported instruments? Not exactly. Based on the current bidding trends in relevant universities and departments, instruments related to life sciences still tend to be imported, and American brands of high-end instruments enjoy a high success rate in winning bids. However, in terms of instruments and meters themselves, many of them are developed through partnerships between Chinese and foreign entities; there are also precision instruments labeled as \"Made in China\" that are developed by Chinese companies that possess the core technologies. In other words, one of the reasons why domestic instruments and meters in China’s instrumentation market are at a disadvantage compared to imported ones is the lack of opportunities. 　　However, failure in the domestic market does not mean it is impossible to make inroads into foreign markets. Throughout 2017, the value of China’s exports of instruments and meters amounted to 134.774 billion yuan, accounting for 7.08% of the machinery-related industries. The impact of China’s exports of instruments and meters on the U.S. market for such products cannot be underestimated. In fact, compared to the list published by the U.S. in April, the number of items related to instruments and meters in the list from June had decreased by around 0.3%. 　　Although the United States has made some concessions regarding instrument-related products, an overall restrictive trend remains evident. Given the large number of related items on the list, it is clear that the purpose of these actions by the U.S. is to restrict the development of China’s manufacturing sector. In the trade war, China has always targeted the weaknesses in the U.S. manufacturing sector, restricting the export of its competitive goods to China. 　　So what does this trade war mean for domestic instruments and meters? It is becoming more difficult to export instruments and meters, but the domestic market is expanding. Obviously, high taxes pose a significant challenge to the export of our country’s instruments and equipment to the United States. Similarly, imports of American instruments and equipment into China are also restricted. As a result of this back-and-forth, the cost of imported instruments and meters is bound to rise. Coupled with the policy support for domestic instruments and meters as well as for China’s small and medium-sized instrument and meter manufacturers, there will inevitably be fewer organizations that blindly follow the trend by purchasing imported instruments and meters. If domestic manufacturers of instruments and equipment can produce high-quality products at this time, they will be able to build a strong brand image. As trade tensions continue to intensify, outstanding domestic companies in this field will gain increasing recognition within the industry and be able to establish a solid foothold in China’s instrument and equipment market. 　　It can be said that while the Sino-US trade war affects instrument and meter manufacturers, China’s policies still tend to preserve stability in this market, and domestic instrument and meter companies should therefore have more confidence at this time. As long as there is the capability, this is an excellent opportunity to help China’s instrumentation market reduce its dependence on imported instruments.