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ESTABLISHING RULES ON TECH EXPORTS LINKED TO ARMS BAN ISSUE: EXPERT

Central News Agency

2005-11-29 15:14:20

    Berlin, Nov. 28 (CNA) A renowned China expert from Germany said Monday that a key for the European Union to make a lifting of its arms sales ban on China possible is to establish a set of common rules with the United States on the export of technology.

    Eberhard Sandschneider, director of the Institute of German Foreign Policy Association, made the comments while meeting with media representatives at the Berlin Foreign Press Club.

    He said the establishment of a common set of rules is important as Beijing's request for a lifting of the ban is related to its interest in E.U. technology, and not its weapons.

    Sandschneider called China's request "reasonable," but added that Beijing has underestimated the impact of the request on public opinion in the E.U. and on transatlantic relations. "The United States and Europe view China's rise differently as the later does not treat China as a competitor, " Sandschneider said, adding that Washington is opposed to a lifting of the ban because of the signal such a move would send to China.

    Talking about new German Chancellor Angela Merkel's China policy, the expert said that in consideration of Germany's own economic interests, the country will have to maintain good relations with China. He also said that Germany's relationship with the United States is also important and that the new German government will have to find a balance in its relationships with the two countries. "The new chancellor should not touch on the thorny issue of the arms sales ban at first," he suggested.

    The expert further said that the stability of China is much more important than the country's human rights situation or environmental performance as "an unstable China is not in the interests of the world."

    He said the international community must be patient about seeing change in China, claiming that "in the long run, China will certainly reform."

(By Y.L. Lin and P.C.Tang)

Enditem/Li