U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the European Union and the United States disagree on whether to lift the embargo on arms sales to China.
In a television interview broadcast by the BBC on Sunday, Ms. Rice said lifting the ban could upset the military balance in East Asia, and called it a serious concern.
She added that it could also send the wrong signal to China on human rights.
The European Union is considering the resumption of weapons sales, but says China would have to respect human rights and regional stability. Arms sales were banned in 1989 following China's Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.