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The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions under the Missile Control Technology regime against the Pakistani Ministry of Defence and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organization (SUPARCO) while lifting similar sanctions against China.
The sanctions were announced by acting Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher at a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon. He said the sanctions would be for two years during which all commercial contacts with the entities concerned would be frozen.
In reply to a question, Mr Boucher indicated that the US would be prepared to discuss a waiver with Pakistan. The new sanctions also apply to Iran, which along with Pakistan has been accused by the US of receiving missile technology development help from China.
Asked whether it was not odd that China, which had allegedly transferred missile technology, was being taken off the hook while sanctions were being imposed on Pakistan and Iran, Mr Boucher said it was not a question of taking anyone off the hook or putting anyone on the hook. The US was concerned only with controlling the transfer of ballistic missile technology from any one country to another. Asked whether India, with its large missile arsenal, figured in US concerns in this context, Mr Boucher said India should welcome the assurances given by China that no further transfers of missile technology would take place.
In his statement announcing the lifting of sanctions against China, Mr Boucher said in consideration of Beijing's commitment to strengthen its missile related export control system, "we have decided to waive economic sanctions required by US law for past assistance by Chinese entities to missile programmes in Pakistan and Iran."
AFP adds: Washington will now resume processing and issuing licenses for commercial space cooperation between US and Chinese companies, notably allowing once again launches of US satellites from China, he said.
Processing and issuance of such licenses have been barred since February under the now-waived sanctions.
In addition, frozen discussions between Washington and Beijing on extending a 1995 agreement on international trade and commercial satellite launch services would resume "as soon as possible," he said.
Boucher stressed that the waiver applied only to sanctions imposed for past violations of US law regarding the transfer of missiles and related technology and that Washington reserved the right to impose sanctions for any possible future transactions.
"China's statement includes broad new commitments on nonproliferation and security imports but its value ultimately will depend on whether those commitments are implemented fully and conscientiously," he said.
Nonetheless, he said Washington "welcomed" the statement.
A senior US official said the decision to waive the sanctions on China while imposing them on Pakistan and Iran was not meant to reward or punish any nation but to encourage non-proliferation efforts.
In Pakistan and Iran, the United States imposed sanctions against various government agencies and entities, including the ministries of defence in both countries, that received the Chinese assistance, Boucher said.
In Pakistan, two-year bans on the import of certain US technologies and awarding of US government contracts were imposed against the defence ministry, the Space and Upper Atmospheric Research Commission and their related units, he said.
In addition, all imports from those agencies into the United States are banned for the two-year period.
In Iran, sanctions are imposed against the defence ministry, the Armed Forces Logistics Command and the Defence Industries Organization and their related units, Boucher said.
However, he noted that the new sanctions would have little practical effect on either country because of existing restrictions on Iran, including the ongoing US embargo on Tehran, as well as those against Pakistan after their 1998 nuclear tests.
"The new sanctions will actually have very limited economic effect, but they do send a strong signal that the United States opposes these countries' missiles programmes," he said.
The Chinese foreign ministry statement, released by the official Xinhua news agency shortly before Boucher spoke and distributed to reporters at the State Department, outlined what US officials said was a comprehensive commitment addressing Washington's proliferation concerns.
In it, Beijing said it "has no intention to assist in any way, any country in the development of ballistic missiles that can be used to deliver nuclear weapons."
In addition, China pledged to develop an export control list of missile and missile technology items for which special permits would be required should Chinese companies want to sell abroad.
Beijing also vowed to
"exercise special scrutiny and caution" on missile-related material not
included on the list, the statement said.
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