US embassy cable - 05PARIS1698

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001698 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, CM, FR, EUN 
SUBJECT: CHINA ARMS EMBARGO: FRENCH POSITIONS UNCHANGED 
 
REF: STATE 044309 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reason 1 
.4 b/d 
 
1. (C) As per reftel instructions, we raised with MFA 
DAS-level Director for East Asia Marc Abensour the upcoming 
visit to Europe of the Chinese Foreign Minister Li and 
reiterated the U.S. position against the lifting of the EU 
arms embargo, as well as our concerns on human rights, and 
the need for China to exercise restraint in the cross-Strait 
relations.  In response to our questions, Abensour said that 
the issue of public statements on the arms embargo during 
Li's visit is still under discussion.  The EU can be expected 
to raise human rights and regional issues, he added. 
 
2. (U) Abensour also referred us to the MFA's spokesperson's 
office for the MFA's March 14 response to a journalist's 
question on whether "China's vote on the anti-secession law 
would not lead the Government of France and the EU to 
reconsider its position towards the arms embargo."  The 
spokesperson's answer, informally translated below, states: 
 
"I do not see the link between the two points of your 
question. On the embargo and the sale of weapons, our 
position is well known and the aim remains the same as was 
enunciated by the European Council on 16-17 December, 2004. 
With respect to the law just adopted by the Chinese Popular 
National Assembly, there is an ongoing dialog among the 
Europeans." 
 
3. (C) Separately, in an unrelated discussion on Asia with 
the MFA's policy planning expert on Asian Affairs (protect), 
he ventured that subsequent to the President's and the 
Secretary's successful visits to Europe, EU members may have 
 
SIPDIS 
misunderstood the ongoing importance that the United States 
placed on maintaining the embargo.  This erroneous impression 
also applies to the EU's relations with Japan, he added.  The 
Japanese are now lobbying hard across Europe making their 
opposition to the embargo more clearly known. 
Leach