European leaders yesterday signaled that they were in no rush to lift an arms embargo on China and could tie it to improvements in human rights, amid criticism that the move would destabilize East Asia.
Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
But European leaders meeting with him said it was uncertain the embargo would be lifted as China had hoped under Luxembourg's presidency of the 25-nation bloc, which ends on June 30.
"We have still more than one month and a half. I don't know if we can lift or we are not able to lift," Luxembourgian Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told reporters after talks with Li.
Speaking later after talks with his Japanese counterpart, Nobutaka Machimura, who reiterated Tokyo's opposition to ending the ban, Asselborn said a decision could come when emotions "are not so strong."
"We do not want to offend our friends in the region or to destabilize any region in the world," he said.
He said the EU could draft "an advanced code of conducts" in exchange for resuming weapons sales.
"People have to know that lifting the embargo does not mean it will be replaced by nothing," Asselborn said.
"Human rights can be included in the code of conduct," he said.
Asselborn acknowledged, however, that China's passage of a law last month authorizing military force to stop Taiwan from pursuing independence "was not very helpful."
China has lobbied for the embargo to be lifted before the rotating EU presidency shifts in July to Britain, which is seen as less enthusiastic about the idea.
Margherita Boniver, Italy's minister of state for foreign affairs, said no dates were mentioned during her meeting with Li.
"Dates were not discussed. They didn't mention any dates," she said. "I don't think there's a set date for that at all."
France has been the prime supporter of lifting the ban, saying the move would be primarily symbolic and recognize China's growing global clout.
The US is not part of the Asia-Europe Meeting, which was founded in 1996 as a way to increase dialogue between the regions away from Washington's strong influence.
The meeting came as North Korea defies the world by refusing to rejoin dialogue aimed at convincing Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear weapons drive, and South Korea asked for China to play a "more proactive role."
The Kyoto meeting will also provide a chance for China and South Korea to hold talks with Japan on deteriorating relations.
China and South Korea, which suffered brutal occupations by Japan up to 1945, accuse Tokyo of whitewashing its World War II atrocities through the approval last month of a nationalist textbook.
Beijing is opposed to Tokyo's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and Li said he discussed UN reform with his European and South Korean counterparts.
On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, on a visit to Luxembourg, warned that lifting the weapons ban could jeopardize stability in East Asia.
The EU has so far not reached a consensus on the issue due to opposition from members including Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden, who want Beijing to improve human rights and peacefully resolve its conflict with Taiwan.
Also see stories:
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source