BEIJING -- China firmly opposes the European Commission's decision to slap provisional anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

Shen Danyang added that it came despite herculean effort and utmost sincerity from the Chinese side.

On Tuesday, the European Commission announced its decision to introduce anti-dumping duties on solar panels imported from China. An interim punitive duty of 11.8 percent will apply to all Chinese solar panel imports starting from Thursday, and the duty will be raised to an average of 47.6 percent two months later if the two sides fail to find a solution.

China has noticed the EU reduced the proposed rate from 47.6 percent to 11.8 percent and looks forward to seeing more sincerity and flexibility from the European side for a solution acceptable to both parties, Shen said.

Economic ties underpin the China-EU relationship, which China hopes will not be affected by trade frictions in the solar panel industry, said the spokesman, adding China is ready to sit down with the European side for more discussions on solar panel prices.