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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| US not to sanction Europe arms sales to China |
| 2005-07-18 |
| The US House of Representatives voted down a proposal to allow the White House to sanction European companies selling arms to China, in a surprise shift influenced by pressure from the business lobby prior to the vote on Thursday (14 July). Opponents of the bill had suggested that more controls on arms exports would cause additional losses of jobs in the US, media reported. The legislation was supposed to push Europe to change its plan to suspend the EU arms embargo on Beijing. But while it was mainly aimed at sanctioning EU companies, it would have required the US president to report annually on all international firms supplying weapons to China and national governments that agree to it. Such companies could then have been denied US weapons technology on national security grounds in future. Washington strongly opposes the EU's plan to replace the Chinese embargo with a code of conduct on arms sales. The House of Representatives supported a non-binding declaration earlier this year, urging Europeans to "reconsider this unwise course of action", as it did not correspond with trans-atlantic cooperation on security. The EU imposed the arms embargo after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 but has recently considered lifting it - mainly due to pressure from France and Germany. Critics of the move refer to China's serious breaches of human rights and an "anti-secession law" providing the legal basis for an attack on Taiwan if the island declares independence. The latest attempt by Brussels and Beijing to agree on the conditions for the lifting of the embargo failed because of China's refusal to accept any link between the arms trade and EU human rights-related demands. The 25-member bloc is expected to discuss the matter at some point after the summer, with the UK - Washington's key ally - presiding over European decision-making. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #14 SpoD, with the new German government come September that is highly unlikely. I don't trust the French either. But most sophisticated arms technology is no longer the production of one European country so the French can't sell what they want to whom EVEN if the embargo was lifted. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-07-18 14:59 |
| #13 They could also find out like the Israelis did that the Chinese make unreliable partners; they're selling some of the targeting pod tech they got from the Israelis as part of the Lavi project in a cheap knockoff. (I know I pointed this out before. I just thought I would again). |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-07-18 14:23 |
| #12 Sorry TGA. I don't trust the French, they will find some petty reason to make sales. If the French make sales, the Germans will follow. The technology transfers will happen and The Chinese will clone the weapons and flood the arms market with cheap copies. We all all be less safe. Just wonderful. Congress critters are morons, but we knew that. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-07-18 14:00 |
| #11 The Chinese general just "nuked" the lifting of the embargo for the next years with his stupid threats. Nice anology! |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-07-18 13:10 |
| #10 It's highly unlikely that, given the aggressive stance of the Chicoms, the EU embargo will be lifted. Even if it were ALL sensitive arms exports would be under strict control and not done without US consent. Continued partnership with the US is so much more important than the money that could be made with China. Gains would not reach a billion dollars, the damage done by Chinese copycats much greater. And China won't be getting any "friendlier" in the next years so I think every year the lifting of the embargo is getting less likely. The Chinese general just "nuked" the lifting of the embargo for the next years with his stupid threats. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-07-18 13:07 |
| #9 Opponents of the bill had suggested that more controls on arms exports would cause additional losses of jobs in the US,.. Who in the hell said this? Sounds like these people are in desperate need of corrective lenses. Either that or they should stop using the cardboard tubes in the middle of rolls of paper towels as visual aids. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-07-18 11:31 |
| #8 Sell they Taiwanese all the Trident subs they want, with the stipulation they keep a few in the Atlantic for when the Chinese attack with their new French/German weapons. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-07-18 10:10 |
| #7 lost American jobs or lost American lives to Chinese shooting American technology weapons? I say the greed loses, and if the companies have to deal tech to our enemies, then they should be out of business and in prison, right Loral? Perhaps we should allow slain/injured servicemembers and their families to sue the companies if the firm's technology is used against us, inasmuch as they knowingly aided our enemies? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-07-18 10:05 |
| #6 Whores. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-07-18 10:03 |
| #5 You need a rope with which to hang me? Have I got a deal for you. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-07-18 10:01 |
| #4 ...on all international firms supplying weapons to China and national governments that agree to it. There is the weak link of the whole treaty. Pretty much worthless then. I say we just boycott everything from France and Germany if they go through with this. It seems to be the only option left. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-07-18 09:32 |
| #3 This is absolutly outragious,can't these idiots see that they are giving the Chicoms the tech that will be used to kill our sons and daughters. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-07-18 09:16 |
| #2 Agreed, Tony. The US has to stop the leakage of its military tech to potentially hostile states and stopping military cooperation with countries and companies that leak is the way to do it. Note that Tony and I are not Americans. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-07-18 07:48 |
| #1 Not good, not good at all. |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2005-07-18 03:42 |