Trade negotiations between the EU and China ended on May 27 with mutual recriminations.

Adroitly alternating the threat of a trade war with the lure of its huge import market, China appears to have driven a deep wedge between Germany and the rest of the EU. And it may even have caused a rift within the Germany business world.

A majority of EU governments oppose a plan to impose hefty duties on solar panel imports from China, a survey of member states showed on May 27, undermining efforts by Brussels to pressure Beijing over its trade practices.

China-based officials were in Brussels on May 27 to resolve the trade dispute with the EU over exports of solar panels and wireless telecom equipment.

The European Commission said that trade talks between them and the China-based solar industry have not ?？roken down' as cited this week by an industry trade group in Beijing.

Fearful of losing business in China, Germany, UK and the Netherlands are among at least 14 member states who oppose the sanctions, it was reported.

EU trade authorities on Monday signaled they would push ahead with a plan to impose import tariffs on solar-panel equipment made in China, despite heavy lobbying from the Chinese government that appeared to be weakening support for the duties among EU member governments.

Premier Li Keqiang, China's top economic official, has criticized the EU for pursuing anti-dumping cases against China-based solar power and telecommunications equipment that he warned will hurt both sides.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday called for an end to a trade row between Europe and China over solar panels and wireless equipment, telling a joint news conference they were both for free trade.

Major China-based solar panel makers on May 24 protested over punitive tariffs the EU plans to levy on China-made solar products.

China-based solar panel makers are seeking separate trade settlements with the US and the EU to avoid steep tariffs in their biggest markets.

The Obama administration and the EU have each decided to negotiate settlements with China in the world's largest anti-dumping and anti-subsidy trade cases involving China's roughly US$30 billion a year in solar panel shipments to the West, officials and trade advisers in Beijing, Brussels and Washington said.

It may seem strange but Chinese chip vendor Allwinner Technologies (Zhuhai, China) probably sold more application processors for tablet computers in 2012 than Intel and Qualcomm put together.

China has almost completed its investigations into solar-grade polysilicon from the US, the EU and South Korea, but the timing of announcing the preliminary rulings depends on the EU's decision on whether to impose punitive duties on China-made solar panels, experts said.

As the European Commission gears up to impose average anti-dumping duties of 47% on Chin-based solar imports from June 6, China has called for dialogue to avoid a trade war.

The European Commission's (EC) proposed anti-dumping tax on imports of cheap solar panels from China has met with stiff opposition from the European industry body, the Alliance For Affordable Solar Energy (AFASE).

The EU looks set to join the US in imposing punitive duties on imports of solar panels from China.

The EU's trade chief will recommend placing punitive import duties on billions of euros of solar panels from China, people close to the matter say, putting up a barrier to protect Europe-based producers but risking upsetting Beijing.

German chipmaker Infineon brightened its gloomy outlook for this year, citing orders from carmakers hoping sales of higher-spec models in China will offset flagging demand in Europe.

The European Commission (EC) has begun a countervailing duty (CVD) investigation into imports of glass from China used in solar manufacturing, based on a trade complaint filed by trade group EU ProSun Glass.

Motorola's Mobility Unit in China has confirmed a plan to lay off 800 employees after two months of silence, according to Tencent. The company will make three rounds of cuts at the end of May, July and September.

Gold prices have suffered their sharpest fall since the 1980s, heightening fears among investors that the precious metal's decade-long bull run has ended.

China's economic growth slowed unexpectedly in the first quarter, raising concerns that a recovery that started in the second half of last year is already losing steam.

So far the virus has been limited to the east of the country, with infections reported in the Shanghai region, as well as in the provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

China has posted a surprise trade deficit in March as imports rose more-than-expected on stronger demand for commodities such as copper and oil.

Data from Chinese semiconductor industry sources identifies Allwinner as, by far, the number one apps processor supplier for Chinese tablets in 2012, followed by Rockchip, ViaTech, Amlogic and Vimicro.

A two-week long Chinese media campaign had focused on Apple's repair policies.

Air pollution is driving expatriates out of Beijing, China, and making it harder for companies to recruit international talent, according to anecdotal accounts from diplomats, senior executives and businesses.

Persistent speculation about a pending merger between Chinese fabless chip vendors RDA Microelectroics and Spreadtrum Communications may have some basis in reality, but word is that RDA has its sights set on a higher bidder.

"China's smartphone market is now the largest in the world. DigiTimes Research pegged the country as accounting for 189 million of the more than 700 million smartphones shipped last year."

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC), for the first time in a long time, has a good story to tell.

Manufacturing activity in China picked up speed in March, an initial HSBC survey has indicated, adding to hopes of a sustained recovery in its economy.

The main subsidiary of Suntech Power, one of the world's largest makers of solar panels, collapsed into bankruptcy in a remarkable reversal for what had been part of a huge China government effort to dominate renewable energy industries.

China-based solar-panel makers are set to follow the lead of Suntech as the industry enters a difficult period of consolidation and "adjustment", according to a senior industry executive.