The EU has replaced Japan as China's No.1 import source region based on trade figures in the first four months of this year, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on May 17.

Trade between China and the EU rose 23.5 percent in the first four months from a year earlier to $170.01 billion, according to MOFCOM spokesman Yao Jian.

His remarks came after the EU slapped its first-ever anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duty on coated fine paper imported from China on May 14. China claimed on May 16 that EU members had subsidized domestic production of potato starch exported to China.