EU's Solana says China arms ban 'unfair'

BRUSSELS - European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Wednesday that maintaining an arms embargo on China is "unfair" given the changes in China since 1989 when it was slapped on Beijing.
Speaking on the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, he however reiterated that the bloc still has concerns about China's record on human rights.
"It is unfair to maintain sanctions on China so many years after the reason it (the embargo) was caused," he told reporters, while adding that: "The human rights issue in China is a big concern that we have."
The EU arms sales ban was slapped on China after the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy students in Beijing, but France has led a group of EU countries arguing that it is outdated and should be lifted.
In its place the EU plans to beef up a self-imposed code of conduct on arms sales, as well as refining a "tool box" of other measures it claims will ensure that no potentially inappropriate hardware is sold to China.
The United States opposes removing the arms ban, with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warning in Beijing Monday that doing so would send the wrong signal at a time of increased tensions.

03/23/2005 09:15 GMT