GERMANY and China have expressed their intention to avoid the obligation of European Union duties in trade disputes on solar and wireless communications equipment and to resolve all trade conflicts by negotiation. Previously it was revealed that the European Commission had initiated anti-dumping duty and anti subsidy countervailing duty probe into EU imports from China of mobile telecommunications equipment, which is around EUR 1bn every year.

Besides, the EC had not obtained complaints from the industry concerned before opening its ex officio investigations, but held it has prima facie evidence that China is subsidizing mobile telecommunications equipment being sold in the EU at prices lower than market value. Apart from this the European Commission had also validated substantial anti-dumping duty, CVDs against Chinese exporters of solar panels and solar cells into the EU. In 2011, China exported solar panels and their key components worth around EUR21bn to the EU.