China expressed grave concern on Wednesday over the European Commission's decision to fine Chinese company AliExpress under the European Union's Digital Services Act, with a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce urging the bloc to stop using platform regulation as a pretext to erect digital trade barriers.

The EU has hit AliExpress with a €550M fine, its biggest DSA penalty yet, for failing to stop the sale of counterfeit, unsafe and illegal products.

The penalty issued under the bloc's Digital Services Act is the highest so far