Posted on 01/14/2005 6:12:41 PM PST by Pokey78
America is waging an intense behind-the-scenes battle to stop the European Union lifting its 15-year-old arms embargo against China, warning Britain that it will not tolerate the prospect of European military technology being used to threaten its soldiers in the Far East.
As Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, prepares to travel to Beijing next week to discuss ending the arms ban, The Telegraph has learnt that the Bush administration is alarmed by Tony Blair's "cave-in" to French and German pressure.
Japan has also expressed dismay over the EU's move dramatically to upgrade relations with Beijing.
The Tories have warned the Government that it is creating a "major breach" with Washington and endangering vital exchanges of military technology between Britain and America.
Mr Straw told the House of Commons this week that the arms embargo, imposed on China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, would "more likely than not" be lifted by June.
The timing seems designed to avoid provoking a public row with President George W Bush before his fence-mending visit to Europe next month - including a stop in London.
It would also spare Britain the embarrassment of the EU lifting the ban during its presidency of the body in the second half of the year.
Mr Straw insists that a revised EU code of conduct on arms exports, coupled with a new "toolbox" of measures to exchange information on weapons sales, means that arms controls on China would remain as tight as under the embargo.
But America is deeply sceptical of such assurances, and well-placed sources are warning that the question of arms sales to China could explode into a new transatlantic row, more bitter even than the dispute over Iraq.
The US sees China as its main long-term rival for global dominance and is worried about possible military conflict over China's declared desire to re-assert control over Taiwan, which America has vowed to defend.
US officials argue that any easing of European arms control exports poses a threat to its soldiers.
But EU officials point out that Israel, one of America's closest allies, sells large amounts of weaponry to China.
American officials have told their British counterparts that even if the Bush administration keeps a measured tone, the response in Congress is likely to be heated.
One likely casualty would be Britain's long-standing attempt to secure a so-called "ITAR waiver" - a special exemption from complex US rules on the export of militarily -sensitive technology.
The fruit of the Free Traders. Many of whom likely are EU stooges.
What's EU's idea ? Sell weapon = sell cloth ?
In fact they anti-U.S.
I'd like to start by cutting off aid to Israel. We should be making an example of out them.
Israel don't know why Iran and Pakistan take nuclear ?
We have a lot of influence on Israel and we can stop them from selling technology that we don't want to go to China. We won't have that kind of influence over the EU and you can bet that all kinds of highly sensitive technology will flow from Europe to China. This is more backstabbing from the French who don't value the NATO alliance and are always looking for new ways to enrich themselves, sometimes at the cost of American lives in combat. Screw France--it may be time to acknowledge the truth and kick them out of NATO.
The first step in the end of NATO. I welcome it. No need to be allied to those who would take technologies like the JSF (which the british are a part of) and sell it to the chicoms.
France must leave NATO .
Before trying to impose our will on Europe, perhaps we should examine our own role of financially empowering them through trade policies. Is it possible we are helping them make the money to buy such things?
"We should punish the Europeans severely in any way we can if they lift this ban.."
Start a war with Iran, and prevent any oil deliveries to Europe. That'll get their attention, and we can take care of Iran's nuclear program. 2-birds, one stone.
ping
France is not a member of NATO, something about bathing requirements.
(And frankly when I was a soldier, I wished they were a member of the Warsaw Pact. They don't have the best record for winning wars)
We don't share anything with the French.
"But EU officials point out that Israel, one of America's closest allies, sells large amounts of weaponry to China."
This is actually true, and Israel sells OUR military tech to china (patriot tech, anyone?)
I am surprised Israel gets a pass in our media over this, given how anti-israeli the media seems to be otherwise.
It does seems hard to blame the EU if China is going to get it anyway from Israel. They may see themselves as odd-man out in a situation of rhetoric not matching actions.
Is Israel just laundering so-to-speak our military sales for our suppliers while we keep others out of the market with the ban?
We may just have to jump in with both feet ourselves in terms of sales to China and when China starts to become too scary then the EU will feel they need the U.S. once again.
Boeing sold airplane technology to Japan right up almost to the outbreak of war in WWII. We then faced this very same technology in the Pacific war.
When does Condolezza get confirmed?
If the EU does lift the embargo, I see no need for NATO and we should encourage the Russians to put a stop to EU expansion-by any means necessary.
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