BEIJING - China is unlikely to rely heavily on imported weapons, military experts say, even as the European Union (EU) is considering lifting its 21-year-old ban on arms sales to China.

The lifting of the embargo "could happen very soon", French daily Le Figaro reported on Thursday, quoting sources close to Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief.

The EU has yet to confirm the claim, but a diplomat in Brussels acknowledged that the issue was raised at the last EU summit on Dec 17, where Ashton recommended as much in a report presented in a confidential presentation, Le Figaro said.