Bush and Congress threaten EU over China

Two senior members of the United States Congress warned the European Union this week that the lifting of the 15-year arms embargo on China could result in a halt of US sales in military technology to the EU.

It appears that the EU will go forward with their May deadline to remove the arms embargo against China. Members of the USA government are not happy about this. Not happy at all.

Richard Lugar, the powerful Republican head of the Senate foreign relations committee, remarked angrily that the USA would retaliate swiftly by stopping all sales of military technology to Europe. Some democrats agree.

Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian warned this move might make China believe it did not need to take more steps toward democracy. It would also encourage China to take further, harsher steps toward Taiwan. The balance of power could be altered between China and Taiwan-USA ties.

The Congress has demanded that the EU explain themselves, and the EU is going to come to Congress to try to resolve any misunderstandings. Misunderstandings?

China has allegedly boosted its military with orders of some 600 advanced Russian fighter jets, Mig-31s and Mig-35s, and had bought modern Russian destroyers and submarines. But the Pentagon is most concerned about the possible sale of advanced European communications and sensor systems, like fiber optics, infra-red, sonar and radar scanners.

A recent report in the New York Times has done nothing to calm US jitters, with the paper citing US intelligence pictures showing the Chinese build-up and the apparent construction of 23 amphibious assault ships. [read more]

What is there to misunderstand? Hmm.