Chinese officials are urging the European Union to go ahead with the lifting of a ban on arms sales to Beijing.

The EU had been moving towards a June date for ending the ban on arms deals, despite U.S. opposition. Diplomats, however, say the Chinese parliament's recent approval of a bill authorizing the use of force against Taiwan if it tries to declare independence has effectively stalled the action.

A Chinese foreign ministry official says linking the two issues is unreasonable and amounts to political discrimination not in keeping with the times.

The embargo was put into place after the Chinese crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Diplomats have told various news organizations that the effort to lift the embargo, originally spearheaded by France, will probably not move forward until sometime next year.