European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday in Brussels that the European Union (EU) would go ahead with its plans to lift its 15-year-old embargo on arms sales to China.

"The European Union is moving to lift the arms embargo," said Barroso at a news conference after he held talks with Rice.

"The European Union cannot be accused or rushing into this," headed.

Barroso said the 25-nation EU will consult the US over a code of conduct governing future weapons sales to prevent what the US regards as sensitive technologies from falling into Chinese hands.

The US opposition to lifting the embargo underscores the trans-Atlantic tensions that remain after Rice's week-long fence-mending trip to Europe.

"We've made clear our concerns about the military balance, the fact that there are still American forces in that region," Rice said.

"All we can ask is that the European Union is aware of our concerns, understands them fully and takes them fully into consideration," she added.

At a EU summit meeting last December, the EU leaders requested Luxembourg, which holds the EU presidency, to "finalize" preparations for the leaders to make decisions on the issue, hinting a lifting of the embargo during the first half of this year.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2005)