German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a frank assessment of a solar panel trade dispute with China. The EU is mulling an anti-dumping inquiry into China after the US took similar action in one of the world’s fastest-developing markets.
“I suggest the European Commission and China try to solve the issue through communications, rather than by resorting to anti-dumping proceedings,” Merkel told reporters Thursday morning during her two-day trip to China. “There is still time, so the best way is consultation,” she said.
Merkel struck a different tone on Friday, however: “We are not out of the woods yet. … My plea is that everyone be transparent, that they lay their cards on the table about how they produce.”
When the EU and Chancellor Merkel wake up to these facts, they and the rest of the world will be better off:
1. The sun goes down every night, and solar generation stops until the sun comes back up.
2. Germany is too far from the equator to take advantage of solar generation. The sun is too low on the horizon when you are located at such high latitude.
3. There is a reason why so many German tourists spend so much money for vacations in Spain and the Canary Islands. It is the sun!