Germany's vice-chancellor and economy minister put Berlin on a collision course with Brussels by warning that imposing anti-dumping duties on solar panels from China would be a "grave mistake".

Philipp Rösler's statement came as Germany's leading manufacturing industry organisation also called for urgent negotiations with China to head off the threatened import duties, which are expected to be announced formally by the European Commission in early June.

The flurry of German anxiety comes a week before a visit by Li Keqiang, China's new premier, who is due to meet German chancellor Angela Merkel next Sunday. Germany is the only EU member state he will visit on his first foreign tour.
– Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013