(BRUSSELS) - The European Union condemned Friday China's execution of a scientist accused of spying for Taiwan, warning of damaging consequences for dialogue with Beijing on human rights.

"The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the execution of Mr Wo Weihan," a statement said. "This execution seriously undermines the spirit of trust and mutual respect required for this EU-China dialogue on human rights."

The EU underscored that it "comes just after the conclusion in Beijing of the EU-China human rights dialogue, in the course of which the EU reiterated its strong opposition to the death penalty and once again raised the case of Mr Wo Weihan and requested that he be pardoned."

The 27-nation bloc also deplored the conditions under which Wo had been detained and tried and said it regretted that China had ignored numerous calls to defer the execution and commute the death sentence.

China executed the 59-year-old scientist on Friday, his daughter told AFP.

Wo was based in Austria from 1990 to 1997, and his daughter has Austrian citizenship. He was arrested in 2005 in Beijing on accusations of passing information of a military nature to Taiwan. He had said he was innocent.

The execution comes amid tension between China and the EU.

On Wednesday, China scrapped a summit with the European Union scheduled for next week in protest at plans by EU leaders to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Earlier Friday, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik described the execution as a "premeditated affront" to the European Union.

"The fact that this execution comes precisely on the day of dialogue between the EU and China on human rights shows the lack of consideration and the harshness with which this case has been handled," she said in a statement.

"This behaviour must in this regard be considered as a premeditated affront by the entire EU," she said, adding that she was "deeply shocked" by the execution.

Her deputy summoned China's charge d'affaires to Austria, Shunqing Wang, to the foreign ministry by way of protest.

"The Chinese courts' behaviour in the Wo Weihan case represents a serious breach of trust that is unjustifiable," state-secretary Hans Winkler said in a statement.

"With this inhuman act, China has severely damaged its image in Austria."

Analysts say China's unprecedented decision to cancel the summit with the European Union over Tibet shows an increasing willingness for Beijing to flex its ever-strengthening global muscle.

The summit, due to take place on Monday in Lyon, France, was called off at the last minute by the Asian giant, which said it was unhappy at French President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to meet the Dalai Lama after the meeting.

China was also rankled last month by the European Parliament's decision to award its prestigious Sakharov rights prize to jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia despite pressure from Beijing not to honour him.

China hit out when the award was announced, calling the move "gross interference" in its domestic affairs, while Hu's wife and other dissidents saw it as a vindication for the ailing activist's work.

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