UKTI DSO meets with China despite military embargo
Officials from the UK Government's arms export agency, UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), have met with military representatives from China - despite the fact that China is still subject to a European Union (EU) military embargo. The existence of such meetings was revealed after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) to UKTI DSO.
The People's Republic of China was placed under an EU military embargo following the Tienanmen Square massacre of 4 June 1989, when over a thousand students and other civilians were killed by Chinese army units. The embargo aimed to deny EU weaponry to China while sending a strong signal that violent repression was unacceptable.
The scope of the EU embargo is left to "national interpretation" by each country. The UK interprets this ban as covering "lethal weapons", including small and large calibre weapons and components, ammunition, military aircraft, fighting vehicles and weapons platforms.
However, a wide range of other military equipment, often vital for the "lethal weapons" to be effective, is permitted under the scope of the embargo. The UK continues to licence some military equipment for export to China, to the value of several million pounds each year. In addition, the UK licences and exports a range of dual use goods and components.
Even though the FCO human rights report listed China as a country of major concern UKTI DSO invited China to attend DSEi, one of the largest arms fairs in the world.
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