China premier Wen Jiabao urges end to EU arms embargo

[Gerald]

China's premier Wen Jiabao has urged the EU to lift its arms embargo on Beijing, at his last EU-China summit before handing over power this year.

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Wen said "the solution has been elusive over the past 10 years. I deeply regret this".

The EU embargo was imposed after the violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.EU sources, quoted ahead of the summit, said "we have agreed to disagree" with China on the issue.

Mr Wen also mentioned the EU's refusal to treat China as a fully-fledged market economy, which is preventing Brussels from lifting its tariffs on Chinese goods.

His one-day talks in Brussels with senior EU figures, including European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, focused on a range of other economic issues.

China clinched a deal to work with the EU to cut greenhouse gases and move to a low-carbon economy, the European Commission said in a statement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19657940

Note: 20 September 2012 Last updated at 12:06 GMT