---

Resuming arms sales
to China would send
the wrong message

The talks that have been ongoing since late 2003 focusing on reviewing the European Union's ban on arms sales to communist China are unsettling, since the reason behind the 15-year-old arms embargo still remains -- that is, China's absurd human rights record.

The arms embargo began in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre, a decision rightly in compliance with the European Union Code of Conduct for Arms Exports, which states that an export license for arms will not be issued if the exported weaponry might be used for internal repression or serious human rights violations.

Europe has long been a standard-bearer for democracy and human rights. The decisions the EU makes in the human-rights arena carry tremendous weight internationally and have far-reaching implications. Lifting the embargo would send the wrong message not only to the authoritarian regime in Beijing, but also to the rest of the world: Abusive practices may go unchecked.

Worse yet, such abusive practices would in effect continue to prevail, when in theory the motivation for lifting the ban supports competing considerations, such as facilitating free trade in the growing arms market. To date, China has not signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights or the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights enacted by the United Nations -- a conspicuous deviation from the moral obligation of a standing U.N. Security Council member. Today, as in the past, China is widely known to detain democracy activists and prosecute dissidents on charges of subversion.

The lifting of the embargo and any subsequent arms sales to China inevitably will lead to regional arms buildups among less powerful countries.

With Europe's principal interest in Asia being economic, it is worth noting that an increase in defense spending also means fewer resources that might otherwise have enabled economic development in this region; the result would be fewer business opportunities for Europe and a lasting knock-on impact on the global economy.

There also exists the possibility that a heated arms buildup might one day spark a conflict beyond imagination. China now has approximately 500 short-range missiles aimed at Taiwan. Should it be emboldened by this enticing gesture by the EU and, predictably in the near future, build up enough military steam to attack Taiwan without regard for consequences, many countries around the world will be affected. From an economic perspective, exports to and imports from Asia account for one-quarter of all EU imports and exports.

From a security perspective, who can forget that fateful gunshot in Sarajevo, which exemplifies the possibility of an individual regional incident igniting a global tinderbox? Furthermore, if the embargo is lifted, the EU's advanced military weapons and technology will very likely fall into the hands of a third party or of terrorists, due to the PRC's relaxed attitude toward military exports. The threatened harm to the EU that will result from lifting the embargo will far outweigh any benefits that doing so might bring.

It was only on Dec. 18 that the European Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution supporting the continuation of the embargo on arms sales to the PRC. There were 373 votes in favor, 32 votes against and 29 abstentions from among the 434 members present. The resolution calls upon the Council of Europe and EU Member States to maintain the EU embargo on the trade in arms with China, and states that China "needs to prove it has made significant progress on human rights before the EU can consider lifting the ban." Given the lack of any marked improvement in China's human rights record, a lifting of the arms embargo would be tantamount to Europe allying itself with China's brutal activities.

In recent years, China has actively expanded and modernized its military. The annual increase in its defense budget is 15-20 percent, and its defense budget for 2004 totals between $50 billion and $70 billion. This is a clear demonstration of China's hegemonic thinking.

With China assuming growing prominence in global affairs, the pressing need for Europe to continue or even expand engagement with Beijing is understandable. Economic ties and cultural exchange will certainly help transform China into a modern, peace-loving member of the international community in the long run. However, such engagement should never be administered in the form of arms sales, which would serve only counterproductive purposes.

---