Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-01-20-Speech-4-136"
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"en.20000120.9.4-136"2
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"Mr President, with the presence in Strasbourg this week of Martin Lee, the eminent Hong Kong democratic leader, and the arrival of a high-level Chinese WTO negotiating team in Brussels on Monday, the issue of human rights in China is again most topical. By bringing this matter to the fore we are not seeking confrontation with China, a country for which we have great respect and considerable admiration. What a pity that the enormous economic progress made by China over the last ten years or so has not been matched by similar progress in political and religious freedom and the rule of law. Of course there must be dialogue on these matters but this must have a positive outcome in terms of genuine and substantive reforms. It is not acceptable to say that western norms are not applicable to China. Human rights are universal and, in this respect, Asian values are no different from our values.
In Hong Kong we see erosion of hard-won freedoms and guarantees. Maybe it is no surprise, however, that demonstrations about Tibet are banned there, when they are barely allowed in London, if the Chinese President is visiting.
In mainland China we should congratulate the recent leadership for getting rid of communism, but in its place we have seen the growth of a corrupted form of capitalism without democracy. The Chinese Government must stop the harassment and imprisonment of Christians, such as Li Dexian in Guandong province and the repression of Buddhists in Tibet and elsewhere. I call upon the Chinese authorities to have the courage to allow democrats such as Martin Lee to travel freely in mainland China. We want to see a China that is fully part of the international community, with true democracy and the rule of law. When will China set out a timetable for democracy?
Commissioner Busquin, although I understand that human rights and trade negotiations are usually handled separately in the European Union, I would ask the Commission to ensure that the concerns of this House are strongly brought to the attention of the Chinese WTO negotiators next week."@en1
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