Germany's Merkel Vows to Avoid Trade War with China

(AP) BERLIN
Germany’s chancellor says she will use her country’s economic clout to hinder the European Union from imposing punitive tariffs on some Chinese products to avoid a trade war.

Angela Merkel told visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday that she will lobby for “intense talks” between the EU and China to seek a negotiated solution as swiftly as possible.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, is proposing anti-dumping duties for Chinese solar panel imports. If agreed, China could retaliate by imposing tariffs on other goods.

Li sharply criticized the EU’s approach, saying through an interpreter “it sends a wrong signal because we want to fight protectionism together.”

He says China hopes talks between Beijing and Brussels can still avoid a trade standoff and yield “an amicable solution.”