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In reaction to the repression of the Tiananmen uprising by the People’s Liberation Army in June 1989, the European Union adopted sanctions against the People’s Republic of China. The embargo is an irritant to the relations between the European Union and China and continues to divide the European Union. For Beijing, this is an anachronistic legacy of the Cold War; it pressures the European Union to abandon it. Though eager to build a genuine strategic partnership with China, the latter should remain cautious. If the embargo were suppressed, it would indeed go against its basic principles as well as its deepest interests.Mathieu Rémond is a graduate of several institutions, including University of Warwick, London School of Economics, College of Europe and Beijing Foreign Studies University. Has worked particularly for the European Commission Delegation to China and Mongolia as well as for the WTO Secretariat.