Canada prepared to shift course on arms for China

Canada is prepared to sell many kinds of defensive or so-called dual-purpose military hardware to China as part of a policy change in line with similar shifts by other members of the Western alliance toward Canada, External Affairs Minister Mark MacGuigan said.

But Ottawa has no present plans to sell arms to China, and the topic was not raised during his three days of talks here with Chinese leaders, Mr. MAcGuigan added. Any such sales would be considered on a case-by-case basis, he said, and they would be limited to defensive weaspons or to equipment such as vehicles, aircraft, and radio apparatus that could have both civilian and military uses.