Nation's certification system protectionist, says EU envoy

Industry experts refute charge, say label also used for domestic goods

BEIJING - A top envoy of the European Union on Wednesday labeled as "protectionist" a compulsory certification system that is required before goods enter the Chinese market.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital, the EU's Ambassador to China, Serge Abou said the EU would like to see more products by small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe entering the Chinese market, but that the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) mark was "discouraging" them from doing so.