The EU reassured China on Thursday that it was pressing ahead with plans to lift a 15-year-old arms embargo on Beijing despite a storm sparked by its "Anti-Secession" Law targeting Taiwan.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the controversial law, which authorizes the use of force if Taipei moves towards independence, had caused "complicated atmospherics" around the debate over the EU arms ban.
But the EU plans remain on track, he said after discussion with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) in Brussels.
Solana recalled that EU leaders agreed last December to work notably on beefing up an EU code of conduct, as preparation for lifting the embargo slapped on Beijing after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
"We are working politically towards that end. We want that end to be a reality. We are working very hard ourselves on compromises that we have to find among ourselves," he told reporters.
"The sooner the better," Solana added.
Speaking after talks with the Chinese foreign minister, his Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn late Thursday stressed that the EU's current Luxembourg presidency would do "its best" to secure the lifting of the embargo.
"We will do our best, as current president, to ensure that this takes place," Asselborn told a press conference in Luxembourg. "We will put all our energy into it."
Li for his part restated Beijing's view that the lifting of the embargo was in the interest of both sides.
"We believe the lifting of the arms embargo is in the interest of peoples from countries on both sides," Li said.
"We have full confidence the EU will work things out," he said.
The EU's Luxembourg presidency has set a target of agreement on lifting the ban by the end of its term at the EU helm in June.
But the Anti-Secession Law has clouded the issue.
Solana conceded that this had had a political impact. But he also said there were some "positive" elements in the Chinese law, and indicated it did not fundamentally change the EU's aim of lifting the embargo.
"The atmospherics ... may have been a little more complicated with some countries or some parliaments. We'll see how things evolve. But the political will continues to be ... to keep on working on achieving that aim."
Those demanding an end to the arms ban -- a group spearheaded by French President Jacques Chirac -- argue that the EU ban is outdated given the political changes of the last decade and a half.
Also see story:
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS