China has criticised the European Commission’s anti-subsidy probe into Chinese wind turbine maker Goldwind Science & Technology as “targeted” and “discriminatory”, warning that such measures would undermine Chinese companies’ confidence in the European market and disrupt the bloc’s green transition.
“The European side’s related investigations have generalised the concept of ‘foreign subsidies’ and have many problems, such as insufficient evidence for opening cases and a lack of procedural transparency,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This is a typical case of practising protectionism in the name of fair competition,” it added.
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The probe will examine whether financial support from Beijing unlawfully strengthened Goldwind’s position in the European market. Brussels said its preliminary investigations had uncovered “signs” that the company “may have received foreign subsidies that distort competition within the internal market”.
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China’s commerce ministry stressed that Chinese firms in the renewable energy sector were competitive due to their strong innovation and technological edge, adding that Brussels’ “abuse of investigations” harmed China-Europe cooperation, Chinese firms’ confidence in the European Union (EU) and the bloc’s green ambitions.
It urged the EU to “immediately correct” its practices, use the foreign subsidies regulation with caution and restraint, and create a fair, just and predictable market environment for cooperation between the two sides. Beijing would “take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises”, it added.
