China Votes to Join Global Arms Sales Treaty Scorned by Trump
U.S President Donald Trump holds a signed letter asking the U.S. Senate to stop the ratification process of the UN Arms Trade Treaty in Indianapolis, U.S., on , April 26, 2019.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergChina’s top legislative body voted to join a global treaty on arms sales in a move that supports Beijing’s efforts to contrast itself with U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress decided to join the Arms Trade Treaty during a meeting that ended Saturday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. China had initially withheld support from the treaty, which regulates cross-border trade in several categories of conventional arms and prohibits their transfer under certain circumstances. It decided to sign it after Trump announced plans last year to pull the U.S. out.