UK: Arms embargo to end by July

The EU arms embargo against China is likely to be lifted in the next six months, despite US objections, the UK foreign secretary has said. Speaking to a parliamentary select committee on Strategic Export Controls, Jack Straw said it was more likely than not that the ban would be lifted before July. "I have long understood China's argument, that to lump them in with, say, Burma and Zimbabwe, is not appropriate," he said. The US has been pressing EU allies to keep the ban, imposed after the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, in place, saying it could threaten the security of Taiwan as well as increase Chinese repression of domestic opposition groups. Human rights groups have said the lifting of the ban is more closely tied to EU efforts to win Chinese favor in encouraging lucrative trade deals.