Beijing: China has said its appeal to lift the EU's 15-year-old arms embargo does not mean the country was "eager" to buy weapons from EU countries, the State media reported today (Dec 7, 204).

"China means more to oppose discrimination by making the appeal because mutual respect and trust, equality and reciprocity constitute the basis of Sino-EU relations," Premier Wen Jiabao said at a press conference after talks with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Expressing his appreciation for the positive efforts made by Germany and the Governments of many EU countries to lift the embargo, Wen said that the embargo, a product of the Cold War, is outdated and does not match the established Sino-EU strategic partnership.

Wen, who is embarking on a visit to Netherlands for the seventh China-EU Summit, said he believes that the leaders of EU countries will have the courage to settle this issue, Xinhua news agency reported.

Schroeder, who arrived in Beijing yesterday (Dec 6, 2004) on a three-day working visit, said that his views on the embargo would not change although there are debates over the issue inside Germany.

He said that lifting the embargo does not necessarily mean China wants to buy weapons from EU countries, and it does not necessarily mean Germany wants to sell weapons to Beijing.