Missiles for Chang

Following up on this story, France is pushing to lift the arms embargoes against China.

The end of an EU arms embargo on China could slow a push by Beijing to develop its own advanced weapons, which would otherwise happen in five years with or without outside help, France's defence minister said in an interview published in Britain's Financial Times on Wednesday.

While insisting that Paris had strict export controls to stop most lethal technologies passing into Chinese hands, Michele Alliot-Marie said: "The lifting of the embargo could be a better protection for us than maintaining it."

An EU plan to ditch the 15-year embargo has triggered concerns in the United States, which is worried that China would gain access to cutting-edge European technology to upset the balance in a region that is home to thousands of US troops and where Taiwan remains vulnerable to attack from its giant rival.

But Alliot-Marie argued that the country would soon be able to develop such technology itself, regardless.

Because we all know that taking advice on military strategy and international policy from France is a good idea. This hack is, of course, wrong.