Europe urged to continue China arms sales ban

Europe’s leaders were urged today to continue a ban on arms sales to China in protest against torture and human rights abuses.

The call came on the eve of an EU-China summit in the Netherlands, with the Chinese government pushing hard for the 15-year-old blockade to be lifted.

“It’s absolutely vital that the European Union does not cave in to pressure from the Chinese government on arms sales,” said SNP Euro-MP Ian Hudghton.

“This ban was put in place 15 years ago following the Tiananmen Square massacre and it must remain in force.

“There is no doubt that China has come a long way in recent years both in terms of democratic reforms and improvements in human rights, but there is still a long way to go. It would send out entirely the wrong signal to lift this ban now”.

Welsh MEP Jill Evans, Plaid Cymru’s deputy leader, said:

“People across Europe will be appalled if European governments cave in to Chinese pressure in order to provide a cash boost to the arms industry.”

“There is no basis whatsoever for lifting the ban on arms exports to China - at this crucial time we need to keep up the pressure on the Chinese regime to make ongoing progress in democratic reforms and improvements in the human rights situation.”

According to Amnesty International China remains a country that executes more people every year than the rest of the world put together, where torture is endemic, and where thousands of people are detained for peacefully expressing their religious beliefs.