Beijing, Sep 2 (IANS): China on Sunday welcomed the European Union's (EU) decision to not extend anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of Chinese solar panels after they expire on September 3.

The Trade Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the decision to remove the measures that had been in place for almost five years would restore the trade of solar panels between China and the EU in line with normal market conditions and create a more stable and predictable business environment, reports Efe news.

China has viewed the measure as a successful resolution of trade disputes through discussions, and added that Beijing wants to continue cooperating with Europe to boost global free trade and a multilateral rules-based trading system.

The EU had imposed the measures in December 2013 after months-long investigations which confirmed that Chinese companies were selling solar panels in Europe for prices far lower than normal for the market and were receiving "illegal" market subsidies from Chinese authorities.