China, EU to hold talks on trade disputes

China has said it will discuss recent trade frictions with the European Union (EU) in Brussels next week.

China's vice minister for commerce Zhong Shan and Jean-Luc Demarty, the European Commission's director-general for trade, will co-chair talks on China-EU trade and investment May 27, reported Xinhua, citing a statement from the Chinese ministry of commerce.

Zhong will also discuss issues related to solar panels and wireless telecoms equipment with EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht.

The EU recently launched several trade remedy probes targeting Chinese goods. Also, it backed a proposal in early May to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China to prevent the dumping of Chinese panel products in the European market.

Last week, it proposed opening an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into mobile telecommunications equipment imported from China, a move that is believed to be aimed at China's two biggest telecoms system and equipment producers -- Huawei and ZTE.

On May 16, the Chinese ministry of commerce said the EU's proposed levying of punitive duties on Chinese solar panels would severely impair bilateral trade ties.