Posted on 05/11/2005 12:25:24 AM PDT by ScaniaBoy
The European Union's newly appointed ambassador to China said he believes the EU will continue to work toward ending its arms embargo against China.
When China and the EU launched a series of activities for marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations early this year, ambassador Serge Abou told China Daily that the EU had the political willingness on lifting the ban but no timetable yet exists.
Premier Wen Jiabao has described the embargo as "discriminatory" and said when he attended the Seventh China-EU Summit last December that its abolition will open the way for a strategic partnership to help Europe and China create a more stable political environment.
The EU passed a resolution at the summit, requesting that Luxem-bourg - holder of the EU's rotating presidency - make preparations for lifting the ban in the first half of this year.
However, it is uncertain whether EU members can reach a consensus on the move before the end of June.
China has repeatedly expressed hopes the EU will take the overall situation into account and lift the ban as soon as possible.
The EU will endorse a binding code of conduct on arms sales, which is stricter and covers all third parties, the ambassador said. "It is a complex issue," Abou said. "Any decision on this matter should not result in an increase of arms exports from EU member states to China either in quantity or in quality."
The EU side has noted that China has formally stated several times that it has no intention nor resources to buy more arms from Europe, he said.
Since the EU is still discussing the issue, while bilateral co-operation in other areas looms in the background.
According to the ambassador, the EU and China are now working on a new framework agreement.
"It aims to formalize our joint interests and commitments across the board and will allow us to achieve even greater delivery of tangible results in the future," he said.
The past 30 years have seen an extraordinary transformation both for China and the EU, Abou said. "It is imperative for the two great powers to work together not only to develop bilateral ties but also to join forces to preserve and develop the global public good," he said.
The ambassador said that the great potential of bilateral co-operation in the future cannot be underestimated.
"As Chairman Mao said, we have to know where we are coming from, where we stand and where we are going."
Since 1995, the EU has approved five strategic policies documents on China and in 2003 China for the first time released a policy paper on its relations with the EU.
The follow-up agreement on technical co-operation in satellite navigation (Galileo) signed last October enabled China to become the first non-EU country to enjoy full participation in the community framework.
Yesterday Russia - and the day before yesterday China.
Note:
"It is imperative for the two great powers to work together not only to develop bilateral ties but also to join forces to preserve and develop the global public good,"
Ping!
That's because the ChiComs have bought enough Euro-weapons, and were given enough American tech (by we all know who) that they don't NEED to buy any more high-tech weapons, they can now develope them further BY THEMSELVES!
The treachery of the Euro-weenies, Japan (don't forget the Toshiba-Hitachi sale of sensitive CADCAM machining eqpt to the Soviets) and (I am ashamed to say) CANADA (Candu reactors and further nuclear research)is a serious threat to the safety and peace we on this continent have enjoyed for so long.
There is an age old saying " Never give milk to a cobra!!" When will the europeans ever learn ??? This seems to be one of their innovative ways of showing their disapproval towards American policies.
Europeans keep barking about about morality ,human rights , respecting international laws and here they are selling arms to the worst human rights violator on earth!!!
This proves how hollow their claims are!!!!
The need of the hour is to maintain a balance of power in the south china sea.... By arming china with deadly weapons they are sending athe wrong message to china. It will only embolden the "smiling commies" of china to take even more provocative measures against taiwan!!!
Europe must realise that their interests lie in working with and not against america...
Stop digging your own graves !!!
To #3;
The key concept that is again being touted is the same concept that allowed for the Yalta agreements at the end of WWII and which left the west lame against growing Islamic fascism for over forty years - the promotion of ways and means to create and maintain "stability" and the demotion of the importance of expanding the breadth and reach of democracy. The use of this langauge makes for policies that institutionalize inaction; it demands that dictators and thugs be put on an equal moral footing with democracies. Eventually, as occurred throughout the cold war with the USSR and as eventually surfaced with Islamic fascism, the long term price of favoring stability over democracy almost always means war will need to be waged, in some form or other, in the future. The problem is that the period of false stability lulls those that will need to defend themselves into complacency and appeasment, jeoproadizing their will and ability to respond when the threats finally come.
When European culture is fighting for its last ounce of breath against what will become a Muslim dominated populace, and China's oil demands dictate its global political alliances, who, in Europe at that time, will lament the "agreements" the EU is now making with China? The EU behaves more and more as if it were only France, grasping at power that is beyond its reach with deals and appeasements that simply nurture its contined decline.
I repeat, it is time our honored dead be brought home from France.
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