Verheugen, also a vice-president of the European Union's executive arm, made the remark after two days of talks with Chinese officials in Beijing.

"Procedures (in Europe) are well functioning, transparent and easy to apply. Chinese exporters are already benefiting while import of European products to China is still subject to a number of complicated procedures," he said.

"This situation should be improved. In this context I have pleaded for more transparency to be able to do business with each other and have a good climate for investment," he told a briefing in Beijing.

Verheugen also urged China to do more to protect intellectual property rights, a perennial bone of contention between China and its trading partners.

"Both China and the EU must protect our consumers both when it comes to domestically produced and imported goods," he said.