China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday expressed concern over the European Union’s investigation into suspected distortive subsidies for Chinese train maker CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive, calling for “prudent” use of regulatory tools from the EU authorities. The probe, announced on Feb. 16, is the first of its kind under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation which came into full effect in October. The EU executive is checking whether the unit of state-owned train manufacturer CRRC Corporation has benefited from unfair non-EU subsidies and made “an unduly advantageous offer” in bidding for a €610 million ($657 million) Bulgarian public procurement contract for 20 electric trains. China hopes the EU will provide a “fair, just and non-discriminatory” environment for Chinese companies, ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press briefing on Monday. Separately, Brussels in October launched another anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles with automakers including BYD, Geely, and SAIC among the targets. [TechNode reporting, China’s Foreign Ministry transcript]
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