# CE2004084EN.01023901.xml

| 3.4.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 84/239 |
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3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 84/239

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(2004/C 84 E/0283)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3440/03

by Koenraad Dillen (NI) to the Council

(20 November 2003)

Subject:   Human rights in China

Subject:

At the European-Chinese summit between Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, trade agreements relating to cooperation between China and Europe in the field of satellite navigation were discussed. It was the European Commission which launched the Galileo programme concerning this.

A new report by Amnesty International now states that human rights are being persistently and seriously violated in China. Torture, executions and repression are still commonplace. Amnesty International reports that more than 300 000 political prisoners are being held in special camps in China.

According to various newspaper reports, not a word was spoken about the human rights situation in China at the summit meeting between Berlusconi and Hu Jintao. Are these reports correct?

If so, is it ethically acceptable to hold trade talks with China without raising this issue? Is not progress over human rights an essential condition for progress in relations between the EU and China?

What efforts has the Council made in the past to improve the human rights situation in China through diplomatic channels?

Reply

(11 March 2004)

(11 March 2004)

| 1. | On a general level, the Council invites the Honourable Parliamentarian to refer to the Council declaration on China presented on the occasion of the European Parliament's plenary session last December. |
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1.

On a general level, the Council invites the Honourable Parliamentarian to refer to the Council declaration on China presented on the occasion of the European Parliament's plenary session last December.

| 2. | Contrary to sources quoted by the Honourable Member of Parliament, the Council informs the Honourable Parliamentarian that human rights issues were on the agenda of the Summit meeting. Human rights issues are raised regularly at all levels with China, including at the highest level. At the Summit meeting which took place on 30 October in Beijing, the EU raised in particular China's accession to the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court, freedom of expression, religious freedom and the death penalty. Both sides had also addressed human rights issues in policy papers that were published shortly before the Summit. |
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2.

Contrary to sources quoted by the Honourable Member of Parliament, the Council informs the Honourable Parliamentarian that human rights issues were on the agenda of the Summit meeting. Human rights issues are raised regularly at all levels with China, including at the highest level. At the Summit meeting which took place on 30 October in Beijing, the EU raised in particular China's accession to the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court, freedom of expression, religious freedom and the death penalty. Both sides had also addressed human rights issues in policy papers that were published shortly before the Summit.

| 3. | Since 1995 the EU has held a human rights dialogue with China in principle once per Council Presidency and has organised related seminars on human rights issues with NGOs. These dialogue meetings are conducted on the basis of detailed reports of the human rights situation on the ground prepared by the EU Heads of Delegation in Beijing, which take into account a variety of credible sources, including reports by human rights NGOs. Heads of Delegation are involved in the follow-up to these meetings and in carrying out démarches on individual cases of concern. |
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3.

Since 1995 the EU has held a human rights dialogue with China in principle once per Council Presidency and has organised related seminars on human rights issues with NGOs. These dialogue meetings are conducted on the basis of detailed reports of the human rights situation on the ground prepared by the EU Heads of Delegation in Beijing, which take into account a variety of credible sources, including reports by human rights NGOs. Heads of Delegation are involved in the follow-up to these meetings and in carrying out démarches on individual cases of concern.

| 4. | During the last round of the EU-China human rights dialogue, which took place in Beijing on 27/28 November 2003, both sides acknowledged once again that human rights are an important element of their overall relations and that it is important to keep up the momentum of the Summit. During this meeting and in addition to the issues mentioned above, the EU raised ‘inter alia’ the question of minority rights, co-operation with UN special mechanisms, torture and administrative detention, discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS and co-operation projects to strengthen human rights protection in China. |
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4.

During the last round of the EU-China human rights dialogue, which took place in Beijing on 27/28 November 2003, both sides acknowledged once again that human rights are an important element of their overall relations and that it is important to keep up the momentum of the Summit. During this meeting and in addition to the issues mentioned above, the EU raised ‘inter alia’ the question of minority rights, co-operation with UN special mechanisms, torture and administrative detention, discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS and co-operation projects to strengthen human rights protection in China.

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