The European Union (EU) will launch an anti-dumping probe against ceramic tableware imports from China and the case if filed would mark the largest of its kind against Chinese tableware exports, Chinese industry organizations said Wednesday.

"The EU has notified China's Mission to the EU about a possible probe into ceramic tableware imports from China. The case is likely to be filed by the end of this month," Guo Cheng, a staff member in charge of anti-dumping cases at the China Ceramics Industrial Association, told the Global Times.

"Rough estimates show that at least 10 percent of the country's tableware products worth $710 million are exported to the EU," he said. 

"The case will mark the largest anti-dumping investigation into Chinese ceramic tableware exports following the recent anti-dumping probe by Indonesia into ceramic tableware imports from China," Guo said.

The Indonesian authorities announced last week the country will levy 87 percent anti-dumping duty on China-made ceramic tableware.

"We are still assessing the exact impact of the possible case and have urged related businesses to get prepared to defend themselves," Guo said.

Guo expected the case to have a bigger impact on businesses in East China's Shandong and Jiangxi provinces which are famous for producing tableware.

Ma Jizhong, a staff member at Shandong Ceramics Industrial Association, said that there are more than 600 tableware makers in the province and one third of them export their products.

"A couple of them export 100 percent of their produce to the EU countries. So if the anti-dumping duties are imposed, all of them will go bankrupt with rising costs and gloomy global economic prospects," Ma said. 

This is not the first time that China's ceramics industry has been targeted. The EU launched an anti-dumping investigation into ceramic tile imports from China and decided to impose up to 69.7 percent anti-dumping duties on China-made ceramic tile for five years starting from last September. 

Tu Xinquan, associate director of the China Institute of WTO Studies, told the Global Times that the worsening economic situation in Europe has led to an increase in the trade tensions between China and the EU in the recent two years, and the EU's move, intended to protect businesses in its region, amounts to trade protectionism.

"European ceramics producers are facing increasing pressure and competition from Chinese makers as Chinese ceramics products have improved in recent years and are comparable to foreign products in terms of quality, design and artistic value. Such anti-dumping cases against Chinese ceramics imports will be increasing," he said.

"Chinese makers could shift their focus from the overseas market to the vast domestic market to avoid increasing trade frictions," he said.