China voices opposition to EU's 'discriminatory' plans for tech firms

China expressed serious concerns about the European Union's move to label certain Chinese companies as "high-risk suppliers" and restrict their participation in the bloc's 5G development, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

"We firmly oppose the EU's discriminatory practices against Chinese enterprises and its misguided approach of politicizing economic and trade issues, and engaging in excessive securitization," ministry spokeswoman He Yongqian told a news conference on Thursday.

He's comments came after the EU issued documents that mandate member states to exclude "high-risk suppliers" from 18 critical sectors, including energy, transport, and information and communication technology service management.

He said China had grave concerns about the move, adding that Chinese enterprises have long operated in Europe in compliance with laws and regulations, providing high-quality products and services to the European public and contributing significantly to the development of Europe's telecommunications and digital industries.

"We believe that by forcibly restricting or even prohibiting market access through the use of non-technical criteria, the EU is not only severely impeding fair competition, distorting the market and acting against its own interests, it is also creating risks and jeopardizing the security of the digital industry's supply chains," He added.

She said that China will be closely monitoring developments in Europe and, that should the EU adopt any discriminatory measures against Chinese enterprises, China will take resolute and necessary steps to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.