The EU is determined to lift a 16-year-old arms embargo against China but hasn't decided when to do so, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said yesterday.
The US strongly opposes lifting the EU embargo, saying that could threaten Taiwan and US forces in Asia. Solana said EU countries were still debating when and how it might be lifted.
"We want to take a decision that is part of a solution, not part of a problem, and therefore it has to be well explained and understood by everybody," Solana said.
The embargo was imposed after China's leaders sent tanks and troops to crush demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, killing hundreds and possibly thousands. China has never given a full accounting of the incident.
EU countries led by France and Germany have pushed to lift the arms ban, calling it a historical relic that impedes diplomatic and trade ties with China.
"We think it is part of history, this embargo, but we have to find a manner and the moment in which it can be done without any difficulty, any problem," Solana said.
Solana's comments point to new obstacles to lifting the embargo, including a Chinese law adopted earlier this year authorizing force against Taiwan if it refuses to unify with China.
Critics have long argued the embargo shouldn't be lifted until China allows greater political and religious freedoms for its people.
Meanwhile, Washington has continued to express concern about annual increases in China's military budget. A Pentagon report issued in July said China is determined to project military power beyond Taiwan and is buying new weapon systems from Russia while modernizing its tactics and improving training.
Solana's comments follow a China-EU summit in Beijing on Monday. A joint statement issued afterward said the EU "reaffirmed its willingness to continue to work toward lifting the embargo."
Solana didn't say if Beijing was asked to meet any conditions in return, although in the past he has said China would have to live up to human-rights standards.
However, he reiterated that the embargo, when lifted, would be replaced with a "code of conduct" governing what weapons and technologies could be sold to China and for what purposes.
Solana denied US objections had blocked the embargo's lifting, but indicated Washington's views had been taken into account.
Washington has threatened to retaliate if the ban is lifted by limiting transfers of military technology to European nations.
also see story:
Blair tells China to embrace change
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