Chirac Remains Determined to Lift EU Embargo on Arms Sales to China

While visiting Japan, French President Jacques Chirac has defended his push to lift a European Union arms embargo on China, disagreeing with his hosts on an issue that has contributed to diplomatic tensions between Japan and China.

France and Germany are spearheading a campaign to end the E.U.'s 16-year-old ban on arms sales to Beijing by June, a drive that has been complicated by China's recent passage of a law permitting the use of force against Taiwan.

Like the United States, Japan is concerned that lifting the embargo will upset the military balance in East Asia by enabling China to buy advanced weapons and technology it cannot source from its primary arms supplier, Russia.

The likeliest target of any future Chinese military action is Taiwan, and the U.S. is committed by law to help the island democracy defend itself.

Japan is Washington's closest ally in the region, and the two governments recently for the first time mentioned Taiwan in a joint security agreement, upsetting China, which sees its dispute with the island as a purely domestic affair.

Japan and China are major trading partners, but relations are unsettled over issues including territorial disputes, foreign policy differences and unresolved resentments relating to Japan's wartime past. Japan is also worried about China's military buildup.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Expecting no more than light chit-chat about ballroom dancing, reporters in Tokyo were startled when actor Richard Gere launched into a condemnation of Europe's plans to lift an arms embargo against China.
After promoting his new film "Shall We Dance?," in which he co-stars with Jennifer Lopez, Gere grabbed a microphone to denounce plans by the European Union to lift the embargo imposed after China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1989.

"I so agree with your prime minister that the European Union should not remove the ban against selling arms to China," he said. "I agree with him totally."

Gere's comments Monday came a day after visiting French President Jacques Chirac tried to mollify Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi by saying that lifting the arms embargo would not result in an increase in weapons sales to China.

"They should not be rewarded for this anti-secession legislation that's in now," Gere said, referring to a new Chinese law that sanctions the use of force against Taiwan.

Gere, who starred in "Pretty Woman" and "An Officer and a Gentleman" is a high-profile Buddhist and supporter of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who has been persona non grata in China since 1959 when he fled to India after an abortive uprising against Chinese communist rule.

In regards to China, I believe the discussion should involve two questions:

1) If China's government fell away due to internal political unrest, and free elections took place, would this do anything to change the current trade deficit?

2) If not, then is the primary reason that China is a considered a threat is because of their lack of human rights and political freedom?

I believe the first answer is no, and in fact, if the communists did fall away and in absence of a long-term civil war, the economic engine would more than likely speed up and really wouldn't change the equation much in our favor. Although workers would slowly demand more money than what they currently get. A change in government is not going to bring back manufacturing jobs to the U.S., however, it may make it easier for the U.S. to combat copyright and patent fraud if they desire to be considered a rational trading partner. Plus they need our food.

The answer to the second is yes, their penchant for controlling a designed destiny, crushing religious freedom and basic political rights are the primary causes for concern. This is what may spiral out of control in light of their responses to Taiwan. They have a big military and they have slowly built their confidence up since the 1950s and are now showing a willingness to flex their might against psuedo, popularized fear (As Richard Pryor once said "I am afraid of a billion of anything.") What better place to do it, than a recalcitrant little island off the coast?

The main thing is the Chinese communist government has to go, and their people set free. A symbiotic(?) relationship needs to emerge somewhat similar to the U.S. and Puerto Rico. (Those fervered few that feel inclined to respond to symbolic analogy can hold off. I am fully aware of its poor analogy but you get my point. Please feel free to respond to my overall comment.)

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