China's anti-subsidy probe into imported European Union (EU) dairy products will be approached in an open and transparent manner based on Chinese laws and regulations and by following the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

At a press conference on Thursday, MOC spokesperson He Yadong said the probe was launched in response to an application by China's domestic industry, stressing that this probe was fundamentally different from the European Commission's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles because the latter was launched without the application filed by EU member states or the industry within the EU.

China on Wednesday started an anti-subsidy investigation into certain dairy products imported from the EU in response to the application submitted by the Dairy Association of China and the China Dairy Industry Association on behalf of the domestic industry in July.

"According to relevant Chinese laws and regulations and WTO rules, the domestic industry has the right to file trade remedy applications to maintain the normal market competition order and protect its legitimate rights," he said.

The ministry reviewed the materials and relevant evidence submitted by the applicants, judging that the application meets the conditions for filing a probe, he said.

He added that the ministry had also conducted consultations with the European side on this matter in accordance with legal procedures before making a decision to launch the probe.