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Selling Arms to China Now?
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| Dervish |
This looks pretty scary. Looks like we (the UK) are just trying to cash in. Extra tourists, £1bn per year plus the money for the arms.....
Of course if someones not a good "party" man (non commie), perhaps if he's trying to get political, you can kill them with thouse arms. Nice...
| quote: | Straw defends lifting of China arms ban
Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Friday January 21, 2005
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, today concluded a 48-hour visit to China by insisting that a lifting of the EU arms embargo would not see an increase in weapons sales to the country.
The US and Japan have both voiced disquiet at the potential lifting of the ban, imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, but Mr Straw has already indicated it would be ended within the next six months.
Today, at a joint news conference in Beijing with the Chinese foreign minister, Li Zhaxing, Mr Straw said it was unfair that the ban applied to China, Burma and Zimbabwe, but not North Korea, which he said had a terrible human rights record.
He said: "The result of any decision [to lift the embargo] should not be an increase in arms exports from the European Union member states to China, either in quantitative or qualitative terms".
The US fears that such weapons may be used against Taiwan, while France and Germany have led the block within the EU pressing for a resumption of arms sales.
Last week Mr Straw told a Commons select committee that an end to the embargo would probably come about during Luxembourg's EU presidency - which lasts until the end of June.
However, at a stop off in Tokyo, the foreign secretary was warned off a lifting of the embargo by the Japanese foreign minister, Nobutka Machimura, who said it was a "worrying issue that concerns the security and environment of not only Japan, but also east Asia overall".
Mr Straw argues that the EU code of conduct ensures the weapons they sell are not used for internal repression, external aggression or where serious violations of human rights have occurred.
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The foreign secretary was also meeting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao today, before flying home. Earlier, he signed a deal promoting China-UK tourism, which is expected to see the number of visitors to the UK rise by 40,000 a year.
Back in London, mayor Ken Livingstone welcomed the deal giving the capital "approved destination status" for Chinese visitors. He said: "According to the World Tourism Organisation, the number of tourists from China travelling abroad each year has risen from virtually nothing in 1990 to over 15 million in 2003. That's a rise of 12.5% a year.
"It is important that London capitalises on this developing tourist market - a product of China's rapid economic emergence onto the world stage. The signing of Approved Destination Status provides London with the opportunity to strengthen its tourism links with mainland China, and cement the economic and cultural bonds I wish to establish with China."
Earlier, at a speech at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Mr Straw urged China to join Britain in its twin objectives of tackling climate change and aiding Africa, as the UK takes over the chairmanship of the G8 in the second half of 2005.
And he told his audience that China's "staggering" economic growth was an opportunity for the rest of the world, not a threat.
Mr Straw said: "The world has never before seen growth on the scale which China is producing. It is turning this country into a central player in the global economy, and lifting millions of people out of poverty.
"Where some years ago the world may have worried about the rise of China, now it welcomes this as truly an opportunity for all." |
SOURCE: Guardian.co.uk |
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| smokeape |
What's good for China is good for Taiwan as well. China has blocked arms upgrades in Taiwan for years because they have a third rate military. They may be large in numbers, but doesn't matter with WMD either.
:p
[[[smoke]]] |
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| Zild |
| I thought the US sold nuclear technology to China a few years back. |
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| Fir3start3r |
| quote: | | ...while France and Germany have led the block within the EU pressing for a resumption of arms sales... |
How hypocritical is THIS?
France will play weenie when push comes to shove but oh no...don't block our flow of arms to antagonistic countries... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Some EU countries are just down-right talking out both sides of their mouths... |
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| Dervish |
It's all for the extra tourists, trust me. Dirty bastards UK included, but especally France and Germany so two faced. It'll only be very specific things which will be sold I think, very high tech. Basicly anything they can't buy from russia. So it'll look above board, and all good for us. But the princible is horrible. Wonder how hard it would be to sell them a few Eurofighters???
EDIT: To explain China is "letting" it's people travel to the UK and so on by giving them a new status. Basicly becuase they are getting to buy wepons from us now. |
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| zig |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dervish
It's all for the extra tourists, trust me. Dirty bastards UK included, but especally France and Germany so two faced. It'll only be very specific things which will be sold I think, very high tech. Basicly anything they can't buy from russia. So it'll look above board, and all good for us. But the princible is horrible. Wonder how hard it would be to sell them a few Eurofighters???
EDIT: To explain China is "letting" it's people travel to the UK and so on by giving them a new status. Basicly becuase they are getting to buy wepons from us now. |
Perhaps its just the EU having a different approach to world affairs then the US..the US is by far the largest manufacturer of arms in the world...... |
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| ::TranceVanDyk:: |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zild
I thought the US sold nuclear technology to China a few years back. |
that was the USSR back in the 50's;) |
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| NYGblue |
| This is known in academia as the beginning of the realignment. Europe, knowing they will never be the preeminent world power, see's the US as a sinking ship and is turning to the next great superpower... China... |
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| Dervish |
| ^You may acually be right, India too. Massive nations getting more and more educated and very very ambitious and driven. |
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| occrider |
| quote: | Originally posted by zig
Perhaps its just the EU having a different approach to world affairs then the US..the US is by far the largest manufacturer of arms in the world...... |
So what countries have the EU embargoed that the US sold arms to? |
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| zig |
| quote: | Originally posted by occrider
So what countries have the EU embargoed that the US sold arms to? |
http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2004_09/EU.asp
Hopefully this link will work..it dosnt seem to be loading properly for me...anyway here goes... |
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| zig |
Ok the link is correct but wont load properly....i will try and find another link that will work....
Basically the article points out the hypocrisy of both the EU and the USA,s stance as regards arms exports to china since the 1989 embargo was introduced....both have exported arms since...not of a high grade but both have exported arms under various loopholes...ill just post this and expand in a further post later..
Btw my origional post only stated that the US was was the biggest manufacturer of arms in the world...which is correct
And the other point i made was that the EU is taking a different approach to china than the US...which is also correct |
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