( CNN ) -- The Chinese government has barred the country 's airlines from complying with a European Union charge on carbon emissions , escalating a dispute that officials have warned could turn into a trade war . Chinese airlines had previously said they would not pay the EU carbon tax , but the formal prohibition by the State Council , or cabinet , puts Beijing in direct opposition to Brussels . The announcement , published on Monday by Xinhua , the official news agency , comes a week before Chinese and European leaders are to meet at a summit and just days after Wen Jiabao , China 's premier , said Beijing was looking to provide more financial support to help Europe out of its debt mess . The Civil Aviation Administration of China has notified all Chinese airlines that , without government approval , they can not join the EU emissions trading scheme or charge customers extra because of it , Xinhua said . The impact on Chinese airlines with routes to Europe was unclear . Although the EU 's carbon scheme went into effect for airlines on January 1 , Brussels has not started charging them yet . But all airlines using EU airports have been brought into the scheme . Those that do not comply face fines while persistent offenders could be banned from EU airports . `` China hopes that Europe will directly address our concerns , in light of the overall situation of global climate change , the sustainable development of international aviation and Chinese-European relations , '' the Chinese aviation authority said . It also said the EU should adopt a `` practical and constructive attitude '' to come up with a solution that would be acceptable to both sides . It added what appeared to be a veiled threat : `` China will consider additional measures to protect the interests of our citizens and our companies '' . The China Air Transport Association , an industry group , said last year that Beijing might sue the EU over its carbon plan . But the prospect of a legal battle dimmed after the European Court of Justice ruled against a challenge brought by US airlines , saying the carbon trading scheme did not infringe on the sovereignty of other nations . Although the aviation industry only accounts for about 3 per cent of global carbon emissions , its share is growing quickly and the EU believes its carbon trading scheme is an important part of the fight against climate change . Chinese state media have called it a `` trade barrier in the name of environmental protection '' and the foreign ministry has upbraided the EU for its `` unilateral '' imposition of the carbon scheme . When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Beijing last week , Premier Wen said China might contribute more to rescue funds that are aimed at resolving the European debt crisis . Premier Wen is scheduled to meet JosÃ© Manuel Barroso , European Commission president , and other European leaders at a bilateral business summit next week in Beijing .
The Chinese government has barred the country 's airlines from complying with a European Union charge . Comment: Because it isn't really that big of an issue, and they are not going to be able to do anything about it anyway.