Washington hardens line on Chinese arms embargo

Published on Wednesday 23 March 2005 00:59

EUROPEAN Union leaders were under pressure yesterday to delay plans to resume weapons sales to China, as Washington toughens its opposition to ending the 15-year EU embargo in the wake of Beijing’s new law authorising a military attack on Taiwan.

Gathering for their two-day spring summit, the 25 EU leaders were facing fire from both sides after China reacted angrily to reports the bloc may put back its target for lifting the embargo beyond the end of June.

"The arms embargo against China is political discrimination, which is not in line with today’s reality," said Liu Jianchao, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, ahead of the EU summit.

Europe has long been divided over lifting the ban. France and Germany have led demands for it to go, calling the embargo a Cold War relic that holds back trade opportunities with China’s booming economy. The UK, Sweden and others have been more reticent, citing continued human rights abuses and the threat to Taiwan.

The US has lobbied strongly for the ban to stay, saying European weapons could destabilise east Asia and even threaten American forces in the Pacific.

However, the EU appeared close to lifting the ban before last week’s passing of an anti-secession law by the Chinese parliament that authorises force against Taiwan if the island seeks formal independence.

China has made some concessions on human rights, including the release last week of a Muslim businesswoman jailed on national security charges and who was the subject of appeals by Washington.

But Jack Straw, the UK Foreign Secretary, said continued human rights problems and the new law on Taiwan had "created quite a difficult political environment" for the lifting of the embargo.

Other European officials have said lifting the embargo could be delayed because of failure to get agreement within the bloc for a series of safeguards to prevent a sudden, destabilising flood of European weapons, or the export of hi-tech arms.

"The latest developments have added complexity," said Cristina Gallach, an EU spokeswoman ahead of the summit.

The Europeans are also concerned about the level of opposition within the US.

Diplomats admitted that a mission to Washington last week to explain the proposed new safeguards had not been a success.

Leading members of the US Congress have warned that Washington could respond to an end of the embargo by restricting transfers of defence technology to Europe.

Europeans calling for an end to the ban argue that it no longer makes sense to group China with Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Sudan under a blanket weapons ban.

They say ending the embargo will send a political signal of engagement with Beijing, while the safeguards will prevent the export of sensitive weapons.

Herve Ladsous, a French foreign ministry spokesman, said ending the embargo would not mean the Europeans would "contribute to any increase in Chinese military capabilities with their exports, nor modify the strategic balances of the region".

European sales of some military equipment have continued under the vaguely worded embargo, which was imposed in 1989 following the clampdown on democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.

Some officials argue that the proposed safeguards could even provide closer controls on what is sold.