China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Wednesday it hopes the European Union (EU) attaches importance to Chinese concerns regarding the shoe trade dispute.

The MOC called for an early and appropriate solution to the dispute under the dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The MOC made the remarks in response to a decision by the WTO Tuesday to set up a panel to make investigations and rule on the dispute between China and the EU over shoe imports.

"The anti-dumping investigations and ruling made by the EU are against the relevant regulations of the WTO and have brought impairment to the legitimate rights of Chinese enterprises," the Department of Treaty and Law of the MOC said in a statement on the ministry's website Wednesday.

The EU began to slap anti-dumping duties of up to 16.5 percent on Chinese leather shoes in October 2006, and it extended the duties for 15 months in December last year.

Several rounds of negotiations have failed to address China's concerns. China sent a letter April 8 to the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the WTO requesting the establishment of a panel to examine its complaint and to rule on the case, the statement said.