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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


02 February 2005

Lifting Arms Embargo Against China Would Send "Wrong Signal"

Secretary Rice, Spokesman Boucher remarks on EU arms embargo against China

By Tim Receveur
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- A European Union (EU) decision to lift its arms embargo against China would "send the wrong signal about human rights," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said February 1 during an interview with Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

Both the United States and the European Union imposed an arms embargo in response to the Chinese government’s brutal repression of protestors calling for democratic and political reform in June 1989.  However, the EU is considering lifting the embargo and instead applying a code of conduct on arms deals with China.

“I have to say that in a circumstance in which the embargo was levied -- because of human rights concerns out of Tiananmen [the 1989 repression incident] -- one has to be very careful not to send the wrong signal about human rights,” Rice said.  “And of course, we do have concerns about the strategic military considerations of doing so.”

Rice said she was not resigned to the embargo being lifted, saying the United States has had a “good dialogue” with Europe over the issue.

"I think at this point we need to continue to discuss it and work it out,” she said, adding that she has “found the Europeans open to our concerns and willing to try to understand them, and so we'll see how we can address it."

Asked about potential retaliation from Congress should the EU act, Rice replied, “I don't want to speculate on what might happen if the arms embargo is lifted.”

The interview came in advance of Rice’s first trip as secretary of state.  Her itinerary includes the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Israel, the West Bank, Italy, France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Last week, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that lifting the embargo on China “is not the right policy decision, not the right time, given China's human rights record, and sends the wrong signal. We don't think an expansion of arms sales to China is appropriate at this time.”

In terms of China’s human rights situation, Boucher said, “we have not seen any change; in fact, we've seen some negative developments that lead us to think it's not the right time to withdraw the embargo.”

Boucher said Washington was also concerned about "particular types of weapons systems that might be sold that could alter or change the military situation in the region, particularly vis-à-vis Taiwan."

Congress has already flagged this issue, and a recent House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) contained provisions that would preclude the Department of Defense from procuring defense articles or services from any "foreign person" who transfers defense items to China.

On February 2, the House of Representatives by a vote of 411-3 passed a nonbinding resolution urging the EU to maintain its arms embargo on China and to close gaps in the current embargo, “in the national export control systems of EU member states, and in the EU's Code of Conduct on Arms Exports in order to prevent any future sale of arms or related technology to China.”

The United States continues its arms embargo on China.

[For details on the U.S. Position on the EU Arms Embargo Against China: http://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2004/Nov/17-557065.html]

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=February&x=20050202181354btruevecer0.3888513&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html



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