BEIJING - China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Monday that it hoped the European Union would be cautious with the use of restrictive trade measures after the EU announced probe into imported steel products.

The European Commission said Monday that it had launched an investigation into imports of a number of steel products in response to US restrictions on steel and aluminum.

Wang Hejun, head of the ministry's trade remedy and investigation bureau, said China understood that the EU was taking necessary measures against the latest US move on steel and aluminum products.

But adopting global protective measures was not the right choice, Wang said.

The probe will further exacerbate trade disorder and chaos caused by the US steep import tariffs, exerting more serious and destructive impacts on the normal international trade order, Wang said.

Necessary measures will be taken to defend the interests of Chinese enterprises, according to Wang.

"As a major WTO member and an important power in global trade, the EU should fight against protectionism in cooperation with other members, instead of resorting to actions that impair global trade order," he said. "China is willing to strengthen coordination with all sides, including the EU, to cope with the chaos caused by the US actions."