EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/565

(2004/C 84 E/0643)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0289/04

by Marco Cappato (NI), Marco Pannella (NI), Maurizio Turco (NI), Emma Bonino (NI), Gianfranco Dell'Alba (NI), Benedetto Della Vedova (NI) and Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: Cultural genocide in China

In her intervention during the discussion on the Prets report on cultural diversity on 13 January in Strasbourg, Commissioner Viviane Reding expressed her satisfaction that the EU had ‘won the battle’ at the Unesco General Assembly concerning the creation of an international instrument for the preservation of cultural diversity, in which the EU initiative relied on support from China. ‘ … Moreover, the Chinese are supporting us in Unesco. We spoke about education as well, and all with an immense country like China which relies on Europe to help it preserve its cultural diversity …’. Commissioner Reding also invited Parliament to reflect on the aspects ‘ … which might be developed in this future Convention to listen to the concerns of our partners …’

The Communist regime in China has been systematically implementing a policy of cultural genocide against minority peoples like the Tibetans and the Uyghurs for the last half-century, with measures such as forcibly sinicising Uyghur names, abolishing Uyghur language teaching in higher education, destroying the Uyghur cultural heritage in Kashghar and other cities, burning tens of thousands of Uyghur language books, forcibly changing the Uyghur alphabet three times in four decades and discriminating against Uyghur language schools in favour of Chinese schools, to give but a few examples.

How does the Commission intend to ensure that the future Unesco Convention on Cultural Diversity will be an effective tool against such heinous crimes of cultural and political genocide?

Within the framework of enhanced cultural cooperation with China and on the basis of the publicly available information on the matter, does the Commission not consider that a preliminary study should be carried out on the extent and forms of the current cultural genocide in China, in order to ensure that EU cultural cooperation with China will never directly or indirectly give momentum to the cultural alienation and criminal sinicisation of the peoples of China?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(23 March 2004)

The Commission attaches high importance to the situation of human rights throughout the world, including the respect of cultural diversity in countries like China. The associated rights to freedom of expression, association and religion as well as the preservation of the cultural, religious and linguistic identity of the minorities in China, and in particular in Tibet and Xinjiang, figure high on the agenda of the regular EU-China dialogue on human rights and in other high-level contacts with the Chinese authorities.

Negotiations in view of the adoption of a Convention on the protection of the diversity of cultural contents and artistic expressions were launched in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in October 2003 by consensus by a large majority of Unesco members including China, in view of the adoption of the convention at the next Unesco General Conference in autumn 2005. Such a convention is a follow-up to the Unesco Universal Declaration and Action Plan on Cultural Diversity, adopted in November 2001, and will continue to be firmly based on human rights like the latter instruments. The convention will aim to promote cultural diversity in all its forms, including minorities' rights, while ensuring that no country abuses the argument of the protection of cultural diversity to adopt and enforce policies and actions which are contrary to human rights. The Commission has, therefore, set up an internal working group to ensure a coordinated approach to the negotiation on a Unesco Convention on cultural diversity.

A reinforced EU-China cooperation will naturally take China's cultural diversity into account and should not be misunderstood as direct or indirect support to any actions that deprive minorities of their unalienable rights.

The bi-annual reports by Heads of Mission in Beijing are an important input for determining the EU's policy concerning minorities in China. These reports provide a regular update on the situation and suggest options for EU action.