The US on Tuesday reaffirmed its adamant opposition to the lifting of an EU arms embargo on China after talks with the foreign ministers of two European countries backing the move.
US officials would not confirm whether the weapons ban on China came up in discussions with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Tuesday and with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw the day before.
But both the White House and the State Department expressed displeasure with the prospect that the EU would lift an arms embargo slapped on the Chinese after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.
"We are, indeed, opposed to lifting the embargo on China," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "We think it's not the right policy decision, not the right time, given China's human-rights record, and sends the wrong signal."
Boucher said Washington was also concerned about "particular types of weapons systems that might be sold that could alter or change the military situation" in the Taiwan Strait.
EU leaders declared their "political will" to lift the embargo last month, while stressing that Beijing must respect human rights and regional stability. Straw yesterday said the weapons ban would likely be gone in six months.
Boucher said the move had been the subject of "frequent discussion" and "we do stay in close touch with the Europeans on this."
The issue of arms sales to China is likely to figure prominently next month when US President George W. Bush tours Europe to repair rifts left over from the Iraq war.
Fischer conferred on Tuesday with outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell and his designated successor, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, who both met with Straw on Monday.
The German chief diplomat told reporters he had discussed a range of issues with Rice, including Iran, Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the broader Middle East. He did not mention China.
"It was very constructive discussion and a very open discussion we had," Fischer said. "And I'm looking forward to continue this discussion during the visit of the president."
Fischer, speaking earlier to German reporters, called for closer coordination between the US and the Europeans in an effort to persuade Iran to give up its suspected nuclear-weapons programs.
Germany, France and Britain are negotiating with Tehran with the Americans largely on the sidelines. But Fischer said the Europeans and Washington "are not very far apart" on appreciating the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.
"I think if we can bring forward diplomacy in a closely coordinated manner between Europe and the United States, this would be an important step forward," he said. "For us it is important that we do all we can to bring together the positions in an intense dialogue across the Atlantic so that we can make diplomatic progress."
Fischer also said that his country still has "an interest that the political process in Iraq succeeds."
The German envoy said the entire international community would benefit from "a stable Iraq which is gradually evolving towards democracy."
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS