The European Commission (EC) should follow World Trade Organization (WTO) rules in its anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese steel exports, a Ministry of Commerce (MOC) official has said.

On May 13, the EC started to investigate steel imports and impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on hot-rolled flat steel products originating from China, over which a so called "anti-dumping" investigation has been done earlier in February.

The Chinese government has expressed concern over EC protectionism before, the official said, adding they do not help in tackling global steel overcapacity but hurt the sustainable development of the international steel industry.

Earlier on Feb. 13, the EC imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on hot-rolled flat steel products originating in China, as a result of the investigation. The practice was deemed illegal by the European Court of Justice due to lack of evidence.

"The EC should take this lesson as a warning, and avoid breaking international rules and European Union laws again," the official said online Friday, urging the EC to be prudent, restrained and lawful.

China advocates free, fair and open trade, the official said.

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