"I want to reassure the Japanese who have expressed concerns," he told the newpaper, according to the transcript of the interview released to reporters accompanying Chirac at European Union (EU) summit in Brussels.

"Lifting the embargo does not mean selling arms. Europeans have no intention of commiting themselves to a policy of arms exports to China," he said, adding: "Neither does lifting the embargo mean ending arms export controls."

The EU arms sales ban was slapped on Beijing after 1989 massacre of pro-democracy students in Beijing, but France has led a group of EU countries arguing that it is outdates and should be lifted.

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