China hopes to resolve trade dispute through talks

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Monday night that China hoped to resolve its trade dispute with the European Union over the Chinese-made photovoltaic products through dialogue and consultation.

In a telephone conversation with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Li said the case, if not properly handled, would hurt both the Chinese and the EU interests.

China was firmly opposed to trade protectionism and abuse of trade remedy measures, he said, adding that there would be no winners in a trade war.

The Chinese premier said it was normal that frictions emerged in China-EU trade ties given the large trade volume between the two sides.

China was willing to find a reasonable solution acceptable for both sides through consultations under bilateral trade mechanism so as to further promote the development of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

Noting China's concern over the case, Barroso said the EU was ready to work jointly with China to address their trade frictions through dialogue and consultation in an effort to advance the EU-China relations and their cooperation in various fields.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, backed a proposal last month to impose a hefty 47-percent tariffs on solar panel imports from China to prevent alleged "dumping" in the European market.