French Foreign Ministry said Monday that European arms embargo imposed upon China no longer corresponds to the reality of the partnership between the European Union (EU) and China.

"Of course we are in favor of a lifting of the embargo. It no longer corresponds to the reality of the Euro-Chinese strategic partnership," French Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borgo said two days before an EU-China summit at the Hague.

"Member states of the EU agree on this ... The discussions are focussed on the timetable and modalities for the lifting of the embargo," she said at a news conference.

Both French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder favored the end to the European arms embargo imposed on China after the Tiananmen incident in 1989.

But the European parliament opposed to its lifting in a resolution on Nov. 17, unless the European Union adopts a general EU code of conduct on all arms sales as well as concrete improvements in China's human rights record.

German Bundestag (parliament) also voted for holding on to the embargo, while other countries, such as Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden and Holland have misgivings for public reactions if the embargo is lifted.

The EU would send positive signals to China over the embargo lifting at the EU-Chinese summit on Wednesday, without however an immediate removal, according to a EU source.