China strongly opposes European Commission's intensive investigations into Chinese firms

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China strongly opposes the European Commission's recent intensive investigations into several Chinese enterprises under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), commerce ministry spokesperson He Yadong said at a press briefing Thursday.

These include in-depth investigations into CRRC Corporation and Nuctech, alongside a raid on a Chinese digital platform. He noted that such actions are egregious, demonstrating clear discriminatory and targeted intent.

China urges the European Union (EU) to immediately cease its unreasonable suppression of foreign-invested firms, including those from China, exercise prudence in using FSR tools, and maintain a fair, just and predictable business environment, he said.

China is closely monitoring the situation and will utilize necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, he added.

The FSR investigations severely affected Chinese enterprises' investment and operation in Europe, he said, adding that in January, the ministry has announced that the FSR investigations have constituted trade and investment barriers following a probe.

The ministry pointed out that the EU's investigations involved insufficient evidence for filing a case, excessive law enforcement, a reversal of the burden of proof, and a lack of procedural transparency.

Recently, these issues have not only been unresolved but have also intensified. In particular, the definition of "foreign subsidies" is overly broad and ambiguous, far exceeding the reasonable scope of international rules and common practices, the spokesperson said.

This has not only severely affected the normal operations of Chinese enterprises in Europe but has also introduced uncertainty into China-EU bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the spokesperson added.