China has called for closer negotiations with Europe over proposed solar panel tariffs after the European Commission agreed to levy tariffs averaging 47 per cent on Chinese made solar panels.
Commerce Ministry Spokesman Yao Jian said negotiations should be “taken up a level” so that the conflict could be resolved. “We do not wish to see a trade war,” Mr Yao said in a statement. “Both sides have immense room for cooperation.”
China is the world’s largest producer of solar panels, and Chinese panel makers have come under fire from their competitors in Europe and the US, who accuse them of benefiting from illegal government subsidies. The US imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese panels last year.