Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday that China firmly opposes forced technology transfers that violate World Trade Organization rules, as well as protectionist and discriminatory practices carried out under the pretext of enhancing competitiveness.

His remarks came in response to media reports that the European Union is considering forcing Chinese companies to hand over technology to European firms if they want to operate locally.

As a matter of principle, China supports China-EU business cooperation based on market rules to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and opposes interference in the normal production and operation activities of enterprises, Lin said at a regular news briefing.