Bush and Chirac have a cordial meeting. US remains steadfast in its opposition to lifting the arms embargo on China, but two sides are open to cooperation in the Middle East.

Brussels (AsiaNews/Agencies) – French President Jacques Chirac and US President George W. Bush met yesterday in Brussels to discuss US-EU relations. The EU proposal to lift the arms embargo on China was among the issues discussed.

For the US removing the embargo would give China access to European high-tech weapons and threaten the security of Taiwan and of the whole of East Asia.

The EU imposed an arms embargo on China after the brutal suppression of the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests in Beijing in June 1989.

Many countries such as Germany, France, and Italy are pressing for an end to the ban.

"I would not say that the two sides are close to a compromise, if by that you mean that the United States is close to lifting its objections," said a US official, who did not wish to be identified.

Despite the formal cordiality, criticisms from the European side were voiced. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson—who is close to British Prime Minister Tony Blair— said Washington would be "wrong to pick a fight" with Europe over plans to lift the arms embargo on China.

Mr Mandelson did acknowledge that there was an "increasing common ground between Europe and America" on a range of issues, but cautioned that other sources of potential division remained.

On lifting the EU's arms embargo on China, he said: "I think Europe should do it—and I think the [Bush] administration would be wrong to pick a fight with Europe over this, which it can't actually win."

The EU Trade Commissioner called the EU embargo "anachronistic" and "threadbare", and stated that it would be better to replace the ban with a clear and transparent method of monitoring sales to Beijing.

For Mandelson, there are still other sources of potential division. "The tricky ones will be over Iran, the China arms embargo, matters to do with the future of NATO," he said. 

However, both sides share a common a desire to make Iraq work after the January elections, to continue cooperation in Afghanistan and the Middle East peace process, including French and US determination to rid Lebanon of Syrian presence.

• china
• us
• european
• union
• arms
• embargo
• nato
• divisions
• chirac
• bush
• mandelson
• proposal
• formal
• cordiality