18/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - The chairman of the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering, has welcomed the clear message of the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, on the human rights question during his visit to China (see EUROPE 8991) and called on Tony Blair, who currently holds the EU Presidency, to adopt the same approach. 'It would be irresponsible to lift the arms embargo on China as long as the country is sticking to its hostile attitude towards Taiwan. There are still hundreds of thousands of people detained in labour camps. And people are deprived of their freedom of opinion and religion too. The European Union must exert its maximum influence on the political leadership in Beijing to change the situation,' said Pottering.