China on Friday filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on anti-dumping measures taken by the European Union (EU) against the import of Chinese iron or steel fasteners.

Under the WTO's dispute settlement procedure, the two sides will now have some 60 days to try to resolve the dispute through consultations. If the consultations fail, China can ask for a WTO expert panel to investigate and rule on the legality of the EU measures.

The EU measures "failed to comply with the relevant WTO rules in the process starting from initiation, investigation and to the final determination," the Chinese mission to the WTO said in a statement.

The determinations are neither impartial nor transparent, which infringes the legitimate commercial interests of over 1,700 Chinese fastener producers, the statement said.

"The Chinese government and the industry on many occasions have expressed their positions and registered serious concerns with grave dissatisfaction, which however have not led to any solutions," it added.

According to the Chinese mission, over the past 30 years since the initiation of the first anti-dumping investigation on imports from China in 1979, the EU has carried out over 140 anti-dumping investigations.

The Chinese side opposes consistently any abuse of anti-dumping actions and rising of trade protectionism, the statement said.

"It is hoped that both sides have positive dialogue under the framework of WTO dispute settlement procedure and find a solution via the consultation to meet the concerns of the Chinese side," it added.