The EU initiated seven new trade remedy investigations last year on Chinese exports, China Daily reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said, citing the Ministry of Commerce (MOF), that the figure was one more than the previous year, accounting for over 50 percent of the cases the region launched worldwide.

The cases included aluminum wheels, scanners and ironing boards exports, the newspaper said.

A statement of MOC said that high unemployment rate might have forced European industries to resort to protectionism.

China and the EU need to engage in more frequent dialogues and work together to identify win-win solutions in the current financial climate, said Cheng Yongru, a division director at the Bureau of Fair Trade of MOF.