“The EU’s image in the fields of economics and international trade is at stake,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, urging the EU against “taking anti-globalisation” steps.

Brussels has bolstered its armoury of trade restrictions to tackle what it deems to be risks to European economic security, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and global trade tensions.

And yesterday, EU officials outlined an economic security package containing five initiatives, including toughening rules on the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) and launching discussions on coordination in the area of export controls.

Asked about the new rules today, Wang warned that “the international community has been very concerned about the EU’s protectionist unilateralism in the economic and trade spheres”.

“Current trends will only intensify these concerns,” he said.

“We hope that the EU will respect free trade, free competition, and open cooperation, which are the fundamental norms of the market economy,” Wang said.