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China arming HR abusers: Amnesty

BEIJING: China is selling arms to an array of human rights abusers such as Sudan and Myanmar to extend its trade and diplomatic reach, human rights group Amnesty International said on Monday, an accusation Beijing denied.

The Amnesty report said China was becoming one of the world’s top exporters of guns, anti-riot equipment and conventional weapons, and its customers included governments that routinely use such arms against their own citizens. “China is fast emerging as one of the world’s biggest, most secretive and irresponsible arms exporters,” Amnesty said on its website, www.amnesty.org.

“The report shows how Chinese weapons have helped sustain brutal conflicts, criminal violence and other grave human rights violations in countries such as Sudan, Nepal, Myanmar and South Africa. It also reveals the possible involvement of Western companies in the manufacture of some of these weapons.” The Amnesty report said Beijing had a “dangerously permissive approach to licensing arms exports” and its “routine export” of conventional weapons and small arms had contributed to human rights violations, including in brutal armed conflicts. China rejected charges by rights group Amnesty International that it is one of the world’s most reckless arms exporters.

“The charge comes out of nowhere,” Xinhua news agency quoted Teng Jianqun, a researcher with the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, as saying. “China always abides by related international conventions and imposes rigid self-control in terms of arms export and transfer of military technologies.” He denounced Amnesty’s claims as “irresponsible and groundless,” Xinhua said.

“China adheres to three principles in arms trade: it should help enhance the self-defence capability of import countries, should not impair regional and global peace, security and stability, and should not be used to interfere with other countries’ internal affairs,” Teng said.

“According to the United Nations Conventional Arms Register, China sells much less conventional weaponry to other countries than the United States, Russia, Britain, France and Germany,” Teng said. Assistant foreign minister Li Hui also disputed the report when asked about it at a briefing on this week’s summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional grouping. Since the 1990s, China has issued regulations governing arms shipments abroad, requiring that the weapons are for “self-defence” of the customer country and do no threaten regional peace and security. agencies

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