He also sought to calm jittery nerves over his country's growing global clout, saying China is not a threat to anyone.

Li said lifting the 15-year-old arms embargo would be mainly a symbolic act to improve relations, dismissing Washington's concern that canceling the ban would result in large transfers of sophisticated new weaponry to the mainland.

``China is a developing country and we don't have the money to buy a lot of weapons from your countries that are expensive and useless to us,'' Li said.

``We only believe that the maintenance of such a long-obsolete, useless and detrimental arms embargo against China is a jarring note in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the European Union. To put it simply, what we are opposed to is political discrimination.''

The EU is expected soon to lift the ban, which was imposed following the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, rebuffing a plea by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Washington has lobbied hard for the EU not to drop the ban, warning it could respond by restricting European access to US military technology. The United States fears China may use European defense technology to threaten Taiwan and US forces in Asia.

The United States is ``very concerned about war in the Taiwan Strait and doesn't want to see it,'' said Andrew Yang, secretary general of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, a Taipei-based research group that studies the Chinese army. The minister's comments came as the National People's Congress prepares to enact an anti-secession law aimed at frightening Taiwan away from moves toward formal independence.

Beijing says the law will not raise the threat against Taiwan, and Li said there should be no association between the law and lifting the weapons ban. He stressed the purpose of the legislation is to promote peaceful reunification and played down concerns China's growing economic might would lead to belligerent diplomacy.

``It is a very small number of people who are still advocating China as a threat. The theories those people spread are unfounded and unscientific,'' Li said, pointing out that US defense spending last year was 18 times that of China's.

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have stressed in recent days that the anti-secession bill is aimed at bringing about peaceful reunification.

Li repeated the rhetoric, stressing China seeks peaceful relations with its neighbors. The anti-secession bill is aimed at containing the ``reckless'' activities of Taiwan independence forces, he said. ``Wait a few days longer until you see the text of China's anti-secession law,'' Li told a reporter. ``I think then you will agree with me.'' AGENCIES