EU kommer ikke til å oppheve våpenembargoen av Kina i denne omgang, og grunnen er Kinas nye lov som gir automatisk adgang til å angripe Taiwan i tilfelle øya erklærer selvstendighet.

Yielding to pressure from President Bush and threats of retaliation from Congress, the European Union has put off plans to lift its arms embargo on China this spring and may not press the issue until next year, American and European officials said Monday.

The officials said that in addition to American pressure, European nations have been shaken by the recent adoption of legislation by the Chinese National People’s Congress authorizing the use of force to stop Taiwan from seceding. The Chinese action, they said, jolted France and undercut its moves to end the embargo before June.

Utenriksminister Condoleezza Rice gjorde det helt klart at europeiske våpen kunne komme til å ta amerikanske liv:

«After all, it is American forces here in the Pacific that have played the role of security guarantor,» Ms. Rice said.

EU hadde nylig en utsending i Washington for å presentere sitt syn.

Indeed, administration and European officials say that Europeans have been taken aback by the ferocity of Congressional opposition to lifting the embargo, led by such Republican heavyweights as Senators Ted Stevens of Alaska and John McCain of Arizona.

Det er særlig Frankrike som vil oppheve embargoen. Chirac foreslo det så tidlig som i 2003.