European Parliament members voted on Thursday to reject loosening the bloc's trade defenses against China, saying that Europe should continue to treat China as a special case, until it meets all five criteria the European Union established to define market economies.

But the Parliament also asked the European Commission to come up with a proposal on China's trade status by July. Analysts say the commission has options to "do nothing, grant China Market Economic Status or grant the status with mitigating trade measures." China is Europe's second largest trade partner, with a daily trade volume of more than one billion euros.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry had urged the EU to admit China's market economy status and stop taking unfair methods against China on trade issues. It's been 15 years since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.