BEIJING: China will examine whether European Union investigations of Chinese enterprises amounted to "trade barriers," its commerce ministry said on Wednesday.
The enquiry will consider if Chinese firms inadvertently lost business in the 27-strong bloc's internal market due to Brussels carrying out various types of investigations, the application to launch the probe by a Chinese industry group suggests.
The commerce ministry received the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products' request last month, its statement said.
Brussels' probes "have caused impediments to the entry of Chinese products or services into the European market... and damaged the competitiveness of Chinese enterprises, constituting trade barriers," the chamber said in its application.
The investigation will last from July 10 to Jan. 10, 2025, and could be extended to April 10, 2025 under special conditions, the ministry said.
The ministry listed rail locomotives, photovoltaics, wind power and security equipment goods in the statement, but did not mention the European Commission's anti-dumping probe into Chinese-made electric cars that ended in June.