BEIJING - The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said it expects the European Union (EU) to be prudent in the anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) to avoid undermining the mutually beneficial development momentum in the industrial chains of the two sides.

China's EV industry has won improved competitiveness in recent years thanks to unremitting efforts, said the association on Tuesday, adding that the investigation proposed by the EU is a practice of pure "protectionism" in the name of "fair competition."

The probe will cast a dark cloud over the EV sector in the world and bring negative impacts to the global vision of carbon neutrality, it said.

China's automobile industry always maintains an open and cooperative attitude and welcomes EU automotive companies to expand their investment in the country, including investment in electric vehicles, said the association.