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EU unlikely to lift China arms ban: Yang
HUMAN RIGHTS:The foreign minister said the ban was imposed
in the wake of the Tiananmen Massacre, and conditions have not changed for the
EU to change its mind
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporter
Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (·¨¶i²K) yesterday downplayed concern that
the EU might lift its arms embargo on China or that the US might soften its
opposition to removing the ban.
Yang made the remarks at the legislature¡¦s Foreign and National Committee while
fielding questions from lawmakers across party lines on whether Taiwan might be
left out in the cold as the EU seeks to improve relations with China and the US
needs Beijing¡¦s cooperation to help defuse the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
Yang said the embargo issue was brought up at the EU council meeting on Dec. 16
and Dec. 17, but it was just discussed ¡§in passing¡¨ given a lack of consensus
among EU member states.
¡§There were a few countries that have been pushing forward for the revocation of
the arms embargo, but the idea hasn¡¦t reverberated among [all EU member states].
That¡¦s because there hasn¡¦t been much improvement in China¡¦s human rights
records ¡X a fact known to everyone,¡¨ Yang said.
The EU imposed an embargo on arms exports to China in 1989 after the Tiananmen
Square massacre.
After the Lisbon Treaty took effect, the EU defines and implements a common
foreign and security policy that requires unanimity among all 27 member states
for the ban to be lifted.
Given that China continues to hold some 1989 democracy protesters and has
refused to release last year¡¦s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo (¼B¾åªi), the
conditions for the EU to consider lifting the arms embargo, which was imposed in
protest against China¡¦s human rights record, are far from amenable, Yang said.
US and Japanese concern over the issue further complicates the possibility of
the EU lifting the ban, Yang added.
Since the US and Japan have expressed strong opposition to the initiative
suggested by a few EU countries, the EU as a whole will take into consideration
how the military balance in East Asia would be affected if it were to lift the
ban, Yang said.
KMT Legislator Shuai Hua-min («Ó¤Æ¥Á) disagreed, saying the EU would resume arms
sales to China given the fragile state of its economy.
Shuai told Deputy Minister of National Defense Chao Shih-chang (»¯¥@¼ý) that the
ministry should sort out the nation¡¦s priority in procuring weapons and be
prepared to begin talks with the EU on the matter.
Yang also dismissed concerns that the US would sacrifice Taiwan¡¦s interests to
gain China¡¦s support on dealing with North Korea by softening its opposition to
the EU lifting the arms ban.
¡§If the embargo is lifted, it will exacerbate the military imbalance across the
Strait. Although it would be easier for the US to tackle the North Korea issue
if it has China¡¦s cooperation, [Washington] knows very well that North Korea
does not always listen to China, ¡¨ Yang said.
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