The European Union and China on Saturday agreed to open talks on a new cooperation pact amid stark differences over human rights and the EU's arms embargo on Beijing, according to dpa. Speaking after summit talks with EU leaders, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged the 25-nation bloc to lift the arms sales ban imposed after the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square. Ending the embargo was a question of "mutual respect and equality" said Wen, adding that he hoped EU countries would have "enough vision and foresight" to tackle the issue. A statement after the EU-China summit, said Wen underlined that resuming arms sales to China "would be conducive to the sound development of EU-China relations." Making no promises, the EU said it "recognized the importance of the issue." EU leaders said they were willing to "carry forward work towards lifting the embargo" but linked it to finalising a common EU code of conduct on global arms sales.
