The recent sampling results released by the European Commission for its ongoing anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles are not fair and suspected of violating the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the laws of the European Union (EU), a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce said on November 16.

The sampling practice is discriminatory against Chinese electric vehicle enterprises and will seriously distort the probe results, spokesperson He Yadong told a regular press conference.

In the sampling, the commission only selected three local Chinese enterprises as samples in the investigation. It excluded enterprises from EU member states that lead in terms of production and sales, which is unconventional, and the sampling results can not reflect the objective industrial situations in the EU market, He noted.

The sampling standard of the commission is not compliant with relevant rules, the sampling process is not transparent, and the sampling results are unfair, he said.

The commission initiated the anti-subsidy probe on its own amid clear opposition from the EU's automobile industry and falsely claimed that Chinese electric vehicles had inflicted damages and threats on the EU electric vehicle industry, completely ignoring the close cooperation between the two sides' automobile industries, He noted.

The Chinese automobile industry is strongly disappointed and dissatisfied with the commission's practice of presetting investigation results and rigging the sampling.

China urges the EU to strictly abide by WTO rules and EU laws, correct wrong practices as soon as possible, ensure that investigations are open, fair, and compliant, and fully protect the lawful rights and interests of relevant enterprises, He said.