§ Viscount Merseyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What equipment they consider is covered by their ban on arms sales to China.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)Since 7 June 1989 the United Kingdom has enforced an embargo on the sale to China of "weapons, and equipment which could be used for internal repression". The EU introduced a ban on arms sales to China on 26 June 1989 but the scope of that ban has, in the absence of agreement on a common interpretation, been left for national interpretation. In the interests of clarity we have decided that henceforward the embargo will include:
- lethal weapons such as machine guns, large calibre weapons, bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles;
- specially designed components of the above, and ammunition;
- military aircraft and helicopters, vessels of war, armoured fighting vehicles and other such weapons platforms;
- any equipment which is likely to be used for internal repression.
All applications will be considered on a case by case basis in the light of these criteria as well as our usual criteria governing all defence exports.