MADRID, July 22 (UPI) -- Spain's prime minister is calling for the European Union to lift its arms embargo against China during his visit to Beijing.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, visiting China for the first time, met with his counterpart Wen Jiabao for talks on strengthening Spanish-Chinese trade relations, El Mundo reported Friday.
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Zapatero's call for an end to Chinese arms embargoes follows the release of a report from the U.S. Department of Defense that China is working to bolster its military capacity, spending about $90 billion a year on missiles, aircraft submarines and other improvements to its arsenal.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recommended this week that the European Union maintain the embargo.