Wen calls for end of EU arms embargo

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has urged the EU to lift an arms embargo, in place since the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings.

"The solution has been elusive over the past 10 years. I deeply regret this" said Wen, speaking in Brussels after meeting senior EU officials.

Ahead of the talks, EU sources said that they will not be lifting the embargo and both sides have "agreed to disagree" on this issue.

China and the EU however did agree on a deal to strengthen cooperation, aimed at "restoring market confidence and fostering financial stability".

"The EU reaffirmed its support for China's peaceful development and its respect for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and expressed its confidence in China's efforts to maintain sustainable, steady and rapid economic growth," said a joint statement released on Thursday.

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Global and entity tokens are replaced with their values. Browse available tokens.

Restricted HTML

  • You can align images (data-align="center"), but also videos, blockquotes, and so on.
  • You can caption images (data-caption="Text"), but also videos, blockquotes, and so on.
  • Global and entity tokens are replaced with their values. Browse available tokens.
  • You can embed media items (using the <drupal-media> tag).

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

link button