POLITICS: EU Says Time Not Right to Lift China Arms Ban

The European Union has announced that it is not yet time to lift the arms embargo on China. The embargo was put in place following the Tienneman Square massacres. Bernard Bot, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, and current president of the European Union, stated that they were working towards that goal and it may be achieved by next year.





The French president Chirac was recently in China and he made a speech in which he stated he neither understood the embargo and that it was time for it to be lifted. Funny how an major industrial order was announced not long after. France clearly want to open up its arms trade with China, however, other members of the Union are less enthusiastic about the prospect. At this time, this is a developing story and very little details is available at the time of this posting


[edit on 12/8/04 by FredT]

At this time, this is a developing story and very little death is available at the time of this posting

Death??

Originally posted by stumason

At this time, this is a developing story and very little death is available at the time of this posting

Death??

Sorry, my spell checker zigged when it should have zagged

However it is nice to know people are reading the stuff I put up.

Thanks.

U.K. & Sweden says NO to the lift ,first human rights improvements...
France & Germany says this is an old and outdated embargo...
U.S.A. Fears and warns of serious treath to Taiwan if China is allowed to buy weapons and further it's power in Asia....

The European Union is not ready to lift its arms embargo on China, according to a senior EU minister.
Bernard Bot, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, made the comment at the start of EU-China talks.

Mr Bot said he hoped the ban, imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, would be lifted next year.

news.bbc.co.uk...

China's growing number of human rights activists risk detention and torture, a report from Amnesty International said.
The report's release was timed to coincide with a summit of Chinese and European Union leaders due to take place in the Netherlands this week.

Amnesty wants EU delegates to call on China to release those in prison for rights activism.

China's Premier Wen Jiabao is expected to use the summit to call for an end to the EU's ban on weapons sales to China.

news.bbc.co.uk...

I think there's no need for more weapons development let alone a business on it....

For once Amnesty International does a good job for the usa government