Leaked cable shows fragility of EU arms ban on China

With EU talks on lifting the arms embargo on China expected to revive after the summer break, a freshly-leaked US cable shows how close the union recently came to dropping the ban.

The dispatch outlines the positions of 12 member states who took part in a “heated” debate in the EU’s Political and Security Committee in Brussels on 2 April 2004.

France, the strongest pro-China advocate, said “the embargo is anachronistic and must go” and showed “zero flexibility” on asking Beijing to make reforms in return for lifting the embargo, arguing that “China would not accept human rights conditionality.”

Austria, Belgium, the Czech republic, Greece, Italy and the UK made more nuanced statements but were broadly-speaking in the French camp. The UK said only that diplomats should study implications for regional stability before making the move.

Denmark led the anti-China opposition, saying “Any decision to lift the arms embargo must be linked to specific Chinese steps on human rights.”

Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden were closer to the Danish point of view.

Ireland, as the then EU presidency, tried to avoid taking sides. EU foreign ministers also tackled the subject later the same month. But with no clear outcome, the ban stayed in place.