The European Parliament adopted a resolution on relations between the EU, China and Taiwan and security in the Far East.

The text adopted in plenary had been tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA and UEN groups.

The Parliament deplores the tensions among various countries in the Far East and calls on all countries in the region to seek reconciliation among themselves sixty years after the end of World War II and to establish a system of mutual understanding and cooperation in order to secure lasting peace and stability in the Far East, and declares its willingness to support these endeavours.

The resolution underlines the basic principles of multi-party democracy, the rule of law and compliance with universal human rights as preconditions for lasting peace and stability in the Far East.

The Parliament calls on China and Taiwan to establish mutual trust and respect and to seek common ground while setting aside differences, to put in place the necessary political basis for a peaceful and steady development of cross-Straits relations and to resume dialogue on those relations, to strengthen economic exchange and cooperation, particularly pushing forward the 'three direct links' across the Taiwan Strait (mail, transport and trade). It stresses that any arrangement between China and Taiwan can only be achieved on a mutually acceptable basis.

MEPs strongly recommend to the Council and the Commission that the arms embargo remain intact until greater progress is made on human rights issues in China and on cross-Straits relations, as well as until the EU makes its code of conduct on arms sales legally binding. China is called upon to gradually implement universal human rights and especially to ratify promptly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Parliament is deeply concerned that North Korea declared on 10 February 2005 that it possesses nuclear weapons and suspended its participation in the six-party talks on its nuclear programme for an indefinite period. It urges North Korea to rejoin the Nuclear non-proliferation Treaty, to revoke its decision to withdraw from the six-party talks and to allow the resumption of negotiations in order to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Korean peninsula.

The resolution calls on the governments of Japan, China and the Korean peninsula to stop any adversary action against each other, to facilitate dialogue among the nations at official and unofficial level with a view to reaching a common understanding of history, and to achieve a final reconciliation between their governments and peoples.

Lastly, the Parliament urges all countries in the Far East to seek bilateral agreements to resolve the outstanding territorial disputes in the region, in particular:

the return to Japan of the 'Northern territories' that were occupied by the then Soviet Union at the end of World War II and are currently occupied by Russia; the dispute over the ownership of the Dokdo/Takeshima Islands between South Korea and Japan ; the dispute over the ownership of Senkaku–Daioyutai between Japan and Taiwan.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on relations between the EU, China and Taiwan and security in the Far East.

The text adopted in plenary had been tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA and UEN groups.

The Parliament deplores the tensions among various countries in the Far East and calls on all countries in the region to seek reconciliation among themselves sixty years after the end of World War II and to establish a system of mutual understanding and cooperation in order to secure lasting peace and stability in the Far East, and declares its willingness to support these endeavours.

The resolution underlines the basic principles of multi-party democracy, the rule of law and compliance with universal human rights as preconditions for lasting peace and stability in the Far East.

The Parliament calls on China and Taiwan to establish mutual trust and respect and to seek common ground while setting aside differences, to put in place the necessary political basis for a peaceful and steady development of cross-Straits relations and to resume dialogue on those relations, to strengthen economic exchange and cooperation, particularly pushing forward the 'three direct links' across the Taiwan Strait (mail, transport and trade). It stresses that any arrangement between China and Taiwan can only be achieved on a mutually acceptable basis.

MEPs strongly recommend to the Council and the Commission that the arms embargo remain intact until greater progress is made on human rights issues in China and on cross-Straits relations, as well as until the EU makes its code of conduct on arms sales legally binding. China is called upon to gradually implement universal human rights and especially to ratify promptly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Parliament is deeply concerned that North Korea declared on 10 February 2005 that it possesses nuclear weapons and suspended its participation in the six-party talks on its nuclear programme for an indefinite period. It urges North Korea to rejoin the Nuclear non-proliferation Treaty, to revoke its decision to withdraw from the six-party talks and to allow the resumption of negotiations in order to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Korean peninsula.

The resolution calls on the governments of Japan, China and the Korean peninsula to stop any adversary action against each other, to facilitate dialogue among the nations at official and unofficial level with a view to reaching a common understanding of history, and to achieve a final reconciliation between their governments and peoples.

Lastly, the Parliament urges all countries in the Far East to seek bilateral agreements to resolve the outstanding territorial disputes in the region, in particular:

the return to Japan of the 'Northern territories' that were occupied by the then Soviet Union at the end of World War II and are currently occupied by Russia; the dispute over the ownership of the Dokdo/Takeshima Islands between South Korea and Japan ; the dispute over the ownership of Senkaku–Daioyutai between Japan and Taiwan.