| Chinese worker sews clothing at a garment factory in Beijing |
In a statement on its web site, the Chinese Commerce Ministry says the EU move runs counter to the spirit of free trade, and could have a negative impact on bilateral relations.
The EU is looking at Chinese textiles flooding into European markets since a worldwide quota system expired January 1. The EU says imports of some Chinese textile have risen as much as 500 percent since then.
The probe could lead the EU to impose limits those products.
The United States is also looking into the impact that increased Chinese textile imports is having on its textile producers.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.