The European Union Sunday rebuffed China's demands for an end to an EU arms embargo in place since the Tiananmen Square massacre, but the communist nation said time was on its side.
Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, told Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at talks here that the 15-year-old embargo would stay in place until at least the summer.
But a cheerful Li said Beijing was prepared to wait.
"All good things take time," he told reporters, flanked by Cowen and EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten - Britain's last governor of Hong Kong.
"I believe the arms embargo is a product of the Cold War period. It's already outdated. It is at the moment of no good use," the Chinese minister said.
"However, the issue is up to all our European friends."
EU leaders in December acceded to French calls to review the ban after Paris said the embargo had outlived its usefulness.
But a clutch of EU countries, notably Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, argue China needs to do much more to safeguard human rights. Europe also faces pressure from the United States, which firmly opposes ending the embargo.
Cowen noted that the embargo was being reviewed by EU military experts and would then have to return for dicussion among foreign ministers on April 26. But a decision was some way off, he said.
"I've given to my Chinese colleague this presidency's frank assessment that we don't believe as things stand that a decision is likely during our presidency," Cowen said.
The Netherlands takes over from Ireland as EU chairman on July 1. Given the Dutch opposition to lifting the embargo, China may be in for a long wait.
The EU's review has looked into whether arms sales to China could resume under a "code of conduct" that would seek to ensure that the weapons cannot end up being used for internal repression.
China is modernising its vast armed forces in line with its growing economic and technological clout, potentially opening up lucrative new markets for foreign arms companies.
But during a visit to Beijing last week, European Commission president Romano Prodi said more efforts were needed first to improve human rights in China, a stance backed by Amnesty International ahead of the talks in Ireland.
"Most member states would prefer to debate this issue at a later date," an EU diplomat said.
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