EU still has "political will" to lift China arms embargo: spokesman

The European Union (EU) still has a "political will" to lift the arms embargo against China despite obstructions from the United States and some member countries, a spokesman on foreign and security policy of the EU Council said Wednesday.

In an exclusive interview, Nicolas Kerleroux said, "I personally believe the discussion on the lifting becomes complicated," as some EU members had raised the situation across the Taiwan Straits and the objection from Washington.

However, he said the EU had not yet made a "collective" decision on the issue and its "political will" to lift the arms embargo remains unchanged.

Kerleroux said the EU would continue conducting "strategic dialogue" with the US on the lifting, although the US had not softened its position after the bloc sent a delegation to Washington last week.

Francoise Le Bail, chief spokesperson of the European Commission, also told Xinhua that the lifting of the embargo in the near future would be "very difficult" due to interference from the US.

But she noted that it is up to EU member states to make the decision.

Earlier in the day, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said at the end of an EU summit that the bloc has not changed its position on lifting the arms embargo.

The EU, keen to boost trade and diplomatic ties with China, agreed in principle last December to lift the ban, imposed in 1989,by the end of June. The United States is bitterly opposed to the plan, saying it would affect the balance of power across the Taiwan Straits.

On March 6, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said the EU's arms embargo on China is "obsolete, useless and harmful," and does not comply with the all-round strategic partnership of cooperation between the two sides.

China adheres to the road of peace and development and does not need to buy a lot of advanced weaponry from the EU, he told a press conference during an annual session of the country's top legislature in Beijing.