The European Union said it was not yet ready to lift its 15-year arms embargo on China, imposed in the wake of the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. In a statement issued after talks between EU members and Chinese representatives in The Hague, the EU said it would be work towards ending the ban, but concerns remained about China's approach to human rights. Both France and Germany are in favor of dropping the embago, but several other EU members, backed by the US, want it to remain in place. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has described the ban as "a product of the Cold War" and out of date.
Categories