China has formally invited a European technical team to visit as soon as possible for face-to-face consultations on the bloc's tariffs on imported Chinese electronic vehicles (EV), said the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Thursday.

The Chinese side has made all necessary preparations for the visit and is awaiting a response from the European side, said He Yadong, a spokesperson for the ministry, at a press conference.

China and the European Union are still in talks after the European Commission passed a vote to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs on October 4.

The spokesperson said on Thursday that China has shown maximum sincerity and flexibility in the consultations and that the two sides have made "significant progress" in some areas.

However, he said there are still "major differences" in the consultations since the EU has failed to actively address issues of core concern for the Chinese and European industry.

The Chinese and European technical teams have conducted eight rounds of consultations in more than 20 days since September 20 in Brussels, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.