Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing Tuesday that the European Union (EU) weapon sales embargo to China is "out of time" and it is unreasonable to link it up with human rights issues.

Kong said at the ministry's regular press briefing that the weapon embargo is a product of cold war mentality and should be abolished at an early date.

He said China-EU relations have developed very fast in recent years and the two sides have decided to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership, which means that China and EU will improve political trust and economic cooperation and enhance coordination and cooperation in international affairs as well as in all other aspects.

Under such circumstances, the Chinese side thinks it is not appropriate and out of time to retain such an embargo, Kong said.

"For the sake of further promoting China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, we think it's better to abolish the embargo at an early date," he said.

In addition, Kong expressed his disagreement with the combination of the weapon sales embargo with human rights.

He said China has made continues progress in democracy and the legal system. "At the recent UN human rights session in Geneva, the majority of the international community spoke highly of China's achievements and progress in the area of human rights."

Kong said like many countries in the European Union, China's human rights condition is not perfect and still has some problems that should be worked on continuously.

"Therefore, I think it is unreasonable to combine the human rights issue with the embargo," he said.

Source: Xinhua