China opposes EU's listing of some Chinese firms as "high-risk suppliers": commerce ministry

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the European Union (EU)'s move to list some Chinese enterprises as so-called "high-risk suppliers," the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Ministry spokesperson He Yongqian told a regular press conference that the EU recently issued documents requiring member states to exclude "high-risk suppliers" from 18 key sectors, including energy, transportation and ICT service management. He added that China has voiced serious concerns over this move.

Chinese companies have long operated in Europe in strict compliance with local laws and regulations, delivering high-quality products and services and contributing to Europe's telecom and digital industries, yet the EU has, without any factual basis, listed some Chinese firms as "high-risk suppliers" and restricted their involvement in 5G development, said the spokesperson.

China resolutely opposes the EU's discriminatory practices and wrong approach of politicizing economic and trade issues and overextending the concept of security, according to the spokesperson. ■