AP , BRUSSELS
Sunday, Jan 25, 2004,Page 1
The EU may end its ban on arms sales to China this spring,
diplomatic sources said, a move that could allow China's
big-spending military to buy cutting-edge weapons ranging from
French Mirage jets to stealthy
German submarines.
At a meeting tomorrow, EU foreign ministers will debate the issue
but not make a formal announcement, said the officials.
"It will take a few months," one EU diplomat close to the
negotiations said on Friday.
"But we are not talking about something way off in the future. In
the spring, perhaps," said the official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
China's military has been moving quickly to modernize, fueled by
the country's booming economy. A Pentagon report in 2002 warned
China was intent on developing a vastly more potent military, with
its training focusing more on the US as an enemy.
For 13 consecutive years, China has made double-digit increases in
the public budget for the 2.5-million strong People's Liberation
Army. Reported defense spending grew 17.6 percent to US$20 billion
in 2002 -- but foreign analysts say the true spending is likely
four times the official figures.
Europe imposed the ban on weapons sales after Beijing's bloody
crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in
1989.
But EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said there had been a "shift of mood"
in European capitals, although some opposition remained.
"There is clear pressure from China to get the arms embargo
lifted," Udwin said Friday.
The foreign ministers of the 15 EU nations -- and the 10 countries
joining the bloc in May -- have agreed to re-examine the embargo,
said French foreign ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous in Paris. "No
one is really opposed to this objective," he added.
Proponents of ending the ban say there will still be the EU's Code
of Conduct for arms sales to act as a safety net. The code forces
EU nations to ensure the arms they sell are not used for internal
repression, external aggression or where serious violations of
human rights have occurred.
The EU view has long been that China must significantly improve its
human rights record before the arms embargo can be lifted.
However, last fall, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, on a visit
to China, said France and Germany wanted the embargo gone.
There still is opposition to that in Europe.
"We are willing to debate an end to the arms embargo, but for us
this is not the right moment to lift it," said a Dutch
diplomat.
The Netherlands and Scandinavian nations lead opposition to ending
the arms ban, along with the European Parliament.
Last month, the EU assembly cited human rights violations, noting a
report on relations with China that the EU foreign ministers
endorsed in October.
It said persistent rights violations overshadow China's remarkable
economic growth. It called the gap between China's rights record
and internationally accepted rights "worrisome."
For its part, however, China responded by saying relations with the
EU "now are better than any time in history" and that ending the
arms ban can only make things better.