EU probes on China's wind turbine suppliers typical protectionism: commerce ministry

BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday voiced firm opposition to the European Union's (EU) subsidy investigations on Chinese wind turbine suppliers, calling such a move as "typical protectionism."

China has lodged serious representations to the European Commission on the move, Ministry of Commerce (MOC) spokesperson He Yadong said at a press conference.

The spokesperson said Chinese new energy companies, including those in the wind power sector, have rapidly developed to gain competitive advantages and secured a leading position globally through continuous technological innovation, a sound production and supply chain system, and full market competition. "This could not be achieved through subsidies."

Committed to providing high-quality products for the global efforts in coping with climate change, the Chinese new energy sector has made positive contributions to the green transformation of countries worldwide, including the EU, He said.

The EU's action contradicted the principle of free trade and seriously interfered normal industrial cooperation between China and the EU, the spokesperson said.

It will seriously affect the global efforts in responding to climate change and the green transformation process, undermine global investors' confidence in the EU market, and hinder the mutual trust between China and the EU, He added.

"China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes this action," the spokesperson said.

He said that the EU cannot advocate green cooperation under the banner of climate change on the one hand, but wield the big stick of trade protectionism to impose restrictions on normal international green trade and investment and practice double standards in addressing climate change on the other.

"Such move will turn the EU into an obstructer of global green transformation, an obstacle of China-EU investment cooperation, and a destroyer of mutual economic and trade trust between the two sides," He said.

The Chinese side hopes that the EU will abandon protectionist practice, return to the right track of win-win cooperation, and take solid steps to create a stable, fair, transparent and predictable competition environment for companies from China and the EU.

China will closely monitor the EU's subsequent actions and reserve the right to take necessary measures to resolutely protect the legal interests of Chinese firms, said the spokesperson.