China opposes EU's abuse of unilateral tools against Chinese firms

China has always opposed the European Union (EU)'s abuse of unilateral tools such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) to target Chinese companies, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

Spokesperson He Yadong made the remarks when commenting on China's latest order that no organization or individual may comply with or assist in implementing the EU's cross-border investigation measures against Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com.

China's Ministry of Justice determined on Wednesday that the EU's recent cross-border investigation into JD.com under the FSR constituted unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The European Commission announced an investigation into JD.com's proposed takeover of German retailer Ceconomy in May.

According to He, in this case, the EU arbitrarily demanded extensive information from relevant banking institutions in China, including details unrelated to the investigation.

He said the conclusion was reached following a thorough investigation and in accordance with China's rules on countering foreign states' unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction measures, which were issued in April this year.

China first determined in May that the EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese security check company Nuctech constituted unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction, and demanded that no organization or individual comply with or assist in the implementation of the EU's measures.

"We hope the EU will move toward the same goal with China, quickly correct its wrongful practices in FSR investigations and strengthen communication through government-to-government dialogue," the spokesperson said.

China will closely monitor developments on the EU side and take necessary measures to firmly safeguard national security and the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, He said. (Cover: File photo of He Yadong, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. /VCG)