China urges EU to stop anti-subsidy probe

China has urged the European Union to stop its anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles, and said it "will not sit back and watch" if the EU persists with the probe.

The European Commission launched the probe in October last year. The commission will postpone its decision on Chinese electric vehicles tariffs until after the European election on June 9, Reuters reported, citing German magazine Spiegel.

At a regular news conference on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called on the EU to stop the probe as soon as possible to avoid hurting China-Europe trade cooperation and the stability of supply chains.

"This anti-subsidy investigation is protectionist in nature," Mao said.

"There are many practices in the investigation that are simply unjustifiable and inconsistent with the rules," she said. "The EU's accusation of China's so-called subsidization is untenable."

Mao called on the EU to stop the probe as soon as possible, and said China "will take every necessary measure to firmly safeguard our lawful rights and interests" if the EU insists on continuing with it.

China has voiced its strong dissatisfaction over the probe. A spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce has said that the probe was launched without sufficient evidence and against the World Trade Organization's rules.