Facing China’s solar power industry, EU advised to concede defeat
EU should pick its battles with the world’s second-largest economy and tie market access to technology sharing, economists say
The recommendations were presented in five memos to the Franco-German Council of Ministers at the request of the two governments during a council meeting on Friday. The memos cover trade with China, as well as defence, energy, economic growth and the labour market.
Jean Pisani-Ferry, a French economist and co-author of the memos, pointed to solar panels as a clear example of an industry Europe should concede.
“Chinese industry is far ahead of everyone else and there’s no longer a solar panel industry in Europe,” he told French TV channel BFMTV Business last Friday.
“Ultimately, it’s not such a big deal because solar panels stay in place once installed. They do not create a dependence, unlike gas, which you need every day. Hence, it’s a technology in which we have to admit that we’ve lost the battle.”