Recently, reports about "European Union encounters obstacles and lifting arms embargo on China has been postponed" are frequently appeared on European-US newspapers, which arouse the attention from people across the world.  

The leaders of the European Union (EU) have reached consensus during the EU summit on December 17 last year in Brussels that it will lift its 15-year-old arms embargo on China during the first half of next year. Since then the EU has made active efforts for the preparation of listing its arms embargo on China. Why do new problems crop up unexpectedly for postponing the embargo's lifting?

The obstacles appear due to the obstruction of the United States and Japan. The United States and Japan are very dissatisfactory about the listing of the embargo and make pressures on the EU and leave no stone unturned to obstruct it. The US congress passed a bill in opposition to the listing of the arms embargo on China. When paying a visit to Europe US President George W. Bush warned a threat to the EU that "US congress may take the vindictive measure". Richard Lugar, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned that if the European Union ends its embargo on arms sales to China the United States would impose ban on the EU. Recently the United States has made use of the Anti-Secession Law adopted by China's National People's Congress to get a big issue and increased its pressure on the EU. Some media from the United States and Japan even slandered that China's Anti-Secession Law will be taken as "a basis for its armed infringement on Taiwan." Under US pressure there comes news that the listing of the arms embargo will be postponed.

The EU enacted its arms embargo on China 16 years ago, which is a product of the Cold War. Its existence has hampered the further healthy development of China and the EU relations. Seeing this, the EU has decided to lift the out-of-date embargo. It is no doubt that the listing will be beneficial to the both sides of China and the EU and to the peace and development of the world as a whole. Fundamentally it is a matter between China and the EU, bringing no harm to the interests of the third party. US obstruction and interference shows another hegemonism by the US. China is devoted to the development of its national economy and improving the people's livelihood. China adheres to the road to the peaceful development and implements the defensive national defense policy. Being a big country with responsibility China has reiterated more than once: the listing of arms embargo on China is armed at eliminating the political prejudice against China. When the arms embargo is listed it will not be necessary for China to import weapons and equipment from the EU on a large scale. China's stance and action proves in the world that China is an active and important force in maintaining peace and stable development in the globe.

The Taiwan issue is China's own internal affairs. Other countries have no right to interfere in that. No other countries in the world hope even more to solve the Taiwan peacefully than China does. The Anti-Secession Law adopted by China's National People's Congress is a law for peaceful reunification, aiming at maintaining the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and at curbing the "Taiwan independence" forces. The across-Straits stability is favorable to the peace and stability in the Asian and Pacific region. It is a law for peace in line with the present trend of the world. "Demonizing" such a peaceful law as a legal basis for military encroachment on Taiwan can only indicate that someone has an ulterior motive on the Taiwan issue, damages Chinese image by every possible means so as to prevent China from developing.

Recently the EU and some leaders of its member countries once again expressed their determination to list the arms embargo on China. They firmly believe that the arms embargo is only antiquated and "unfair" sanction measures and does not tally with the reality of the European-Chinese relations. The EU would like to establish stable partnership with China. Enhancing dialogues between the EU and China is the best contribution made by the EU to strengthening Asian security.

It is totally the wise move to remove the arms embargo on China, which goes with the tide of historical development. The United States and Japan should not make the stumbling block preventing the development of the relations between the EU and China. 

(People's Daily April 4, 2005)