The European Union wants China to make a significant gesture on human rights before it lifts its arms embargo, senior EU diplomats said this week.
The linkage, which is new, will be discussed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of the week and may emerge as the official line after the talks, according to a French diplomat.
The apparent policy shift coincides with the admission by EU officials that Europe’s plan to lift the embargo by the end of June has run into major obstacles.