CHINA has launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into wines imported from the European Union, the Ministry of Commerce said today.

This is in response to the 27-nation bloc's decision to impose tariffs on Chinese solar panels.

China has opened the probes at the request of Chinese wine producers, said the ministry.

Producers say wine is being imported from the EU using unfair trade methods, including dumping and subsidies, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

These practices are having an impact on the domestic wine industry, say China's producers.

"China has been cautious about using trade remedies," the ministry said.

"We have noted the quick growth in the number of wines imported form the EU in recent years and we will conduct investigations rigorously and in accordance with the law."

The move came after EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced yesterday that the bloc would impose preliminary tariff of 11.8 percent on the imports of solar panels, cells and wafers from China from tomorrow.

This will rise to 47.6 percent on August 6, unless a settlement is reached with China.

De Gucht said Chinese solar panels should be sold at 88 percent higher than the current price and that "dumping" was harming the solar panel industry in the Europe as 25,000 jobs were threatened.

In a separate statement released earlier today, the ministry expressed resolute opposition to the EU move, saying that China has made great efforts to try to resolve the issue through talks.

"Economic and trade relations are an important foundation of China-EU relationship and China is unwilling to see the trade friction in the solar sector affect the overall China-EU relation," ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said in the statement.

The ministry said it noted that the EU had imposed a lower initial rate than it had earlier suggested.

However, it called the EU to "further show sincerity and flexibility to find a mutually acceptable solution through consultations".