BEIJING — China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Friday questioned the European Commission's (EC) anti-subsidy ruling on Chinese hot-rolled coil, criticizing improper practices in the investigation.

The commission has ruled that Chinese producers of the steel product received subsidies ranging from 4.9 percent to 42.6 percent.

Ignoring the fact that Chinese commercial banks operated independently in accordance with market principles, the EC asserted their loans to the producers were preferential lending, said Wang Hejun, head of the trade remedy and investigation bureau at the MOC.

The commission also wrongly took banking loans obtained by state firms as bestowal, which inflated the subsidy range, Wang said.

China urged the EC to strictly abide by WTO rules to correct the improper ruling as soon as possible, he stressed, pledging to take necessary measures to defend the rights of Chinese companies.

Hot-rolled coil, a major variety of steel product, is widely used in construction and machinery building.