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Strategic Export Controls

The hon. Gentleman is on to an acute point, and I shall come to that very question shortly. I find the EU's position on the maintenance of the EU-China arms embargo worryingly woolly. The latest statement that I have on it is what was said at the end of the 10th China-EU summit last year in Beijing on 28 November. The relevant few sentences from the joint statement issued at the end of the summit read:"““Leaders also discussed the EU arms embargo. The Chinese side reiterated its view that lifting the arms embargo would be conducive to the sound development of the EU-China relations and urged the EU to lift the arms embargo at an early date. The EU side recognised the importance of this issue and confirmed its willingness to carry forward work towards lifting the embargo on the basis of the Joint Statement of the 2004 EU-China Summit and subsequent European Council Conclusions.””" More worryingly still, some leading members of the EU have been even softer on the maintenance of the EU-China arms embargo. I noted that President Sarkozy was in China on a visit shortly after the summit concluded. On 5 December the Chinese Xinhua news agency reported that President Sarkozy had, during his visit, demanded the removal of the embargo. Happily, the President chose not to repeat that demand in the Royal Gallery yesterday. The British Government position is somewhat opaque, but, as has already been stated, their response to the Committees' report reads:"““The Government believes that the embargo should stay in place until the conditions are right for it to be lifted.””" I come to the point that the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mike Gapes) anticipated: I do not think that that is a good enough statement of the Government's position. It is completely opaque. In policy terms it is meaningless, and the Government owe the Committees, the House and the wider British public a clearer view of the circumstances in which they would feel it was right to lift the embargo. The Minister may feel that he needs more time to reflect more carefully on what has been said, but I hope that he will respond to the debate by telling us what specific conditions—domestic human rights conditions and foreign policy requirements—the British Government believe the Chinese need to fulfil to get the EU-China arms embargo lifted. We are entitled to answers to those questions, and I hope that the Minister will, either at the end of the debate or subsequently in writing to the Chairman, give a fuller explanation of the Government's position. In conclusion, I want to reinforce what the Chairman of the Committees has said about the invaluable contribution made by their staff and—if I am allowed to mention them—the officials of the four Departments involved. Of course, the members of the Committees take full and total responsibility for the report, as I am sure the Minister will take full responsibility for his annual report and the Government's response. Between us, we have established, by dint of a great deal of hard work and a high standard of professionalism, a degree of rigorous and transparent scrutiny of arms exports from this country, which is a credit to the British Government and to the British Parliament.