Berlin signals end to support for lifting China arms ban
MARK BEUNDERMAN
08.11.2005 @ 09:52 CET
German coalition parties said they do not support a quick lifting of the arms embargo against China, speaking on the eve of Chinese president Hu Jintao's meeting with chancellor-designate Angela Merkel.
Friedbert Pfluger, a foreign policy expert at Ms Merkel’s CDU party, said according to FT Deutschland that the lifting of the embargo was "not on the agenda", pointing to consensus over the issue in ongoing coalition talks with SPD.
Ms Merkel may visit both Paris and Warsaw in 24 hours on her first foreign trip (Photo: CDU)
The position taken by the coalition parties represents a shift from the stance taken by outgoing chancellor Gerhard Schroder, who had personally campaigned for an end to the arms ban.
The move comes on the eve of a Berlin visit by Chinese president Hu Jintao, who is set to meet Ms Merkel on Friday (11 November).
FT Deutschland notes it is unlikely that Ms Merkel will copy her predecessor’s position on the China embargo, with the new leader taking a more transatlantic view of the issue.
A majority of EU member states last spring appeared to move towards lifting the ban, but US resistance took the issue off the agenda.
The Americans, supported by the Japanese, fear that lifting the embargo would lead to a deterioration of security in the region by giving China access to advanced weapons technology.
The arms ban was put in place by the EU following the violent crackdown by China’s communist regime against pro-democracy protestors on Beijing’s Tiannanmen square in 1989.
Last Friday, Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing said the embargo deserved to be "binned".
But the minister reiterated Beijing’s refusal to bow to EU human rights demands, as put forward by Europe during talks with the Chinese earlier this year.
Solana official to become Merkel top aid
Meanwhile, German media report that Ms Merkel has appointed Christoph Heusgen, currently a top political advisor to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, as her foreign policy advisor.
The appointment points to a further move away from the EU policy of the Schroder government, which put a strong focus on national foreign policy and frequently clashed with the European Commission.
Mr Heusgen is the antithesis to this line according to FT Deutschland, rejecting for example the Schroder government’s demand for a German seat on the UN security council.
The paper says the appointment of the heavy-weight EU expert points to Ms Merkel intending to keep EU policy firmly in her own hands.
EU policy in Germany is traditionally contested between the offices of the chancellor and that of the foreign minister.
A report in Die Welt on Monday (7 November) said Ms Merkel is considering visiting first Paris and then Warsaw in the same 24 hours on her first trip abroad as chancellor, signalling a fresh commitment to end Mr Schroder's one-sided focus on France and improve relations with Poland.
Ms Merkel is set to take office on 22 November.