Beijing says EU imposed unfair trade barriers on Chinese firms [Video]

China said Thursday that an investigation had found the European Union imposed unfair “trade and investment barriers” on Beijing, marking the latest salvo in long-running commercial tensions between the two economic powers.

Officials announced the probe in July after Brussels began looking into whether Chinese government subsidies were undermining European competition.

Beijing has consistently denied its industrial policies are unfair and has threatened to take action against the EU to protect Chinese companies’ legal rights and interests.

The commerce ministry said Thursday that the implementation of the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) discriminated against Chinese firms and “constitutes trade and investment barriers”.

However, it did not mention whether Beijing planned to take action in response.

The two are major trade partners but are locked in a wide-ranging standoff, notably over Beijing’s support for its renewables and electric-vehicle sectors.

EU actions against Chinese firms have come as the 27-nation bloc seeks …