China voiced dissatisfaction on Wednesday at a demand by the European Union to engage within a “very short” time in consultations on the bloc’s inquiry into subsidies for electric vehicles.

The remarks came as the European Commission formally launched the investigation on whether to set tariffs to shield its producers from a “flood” of imports of cheaper Chinese electric vehicles (EV) it says benefit from state subsidies.

However, China was “very much dissatisfied” with the anti-subsidy investigation as it lacked adequate evidence and did not conform with World Trade Organization rules, the country’s commerce ministry said in a statement.