Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-29-Speech-4-061"
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"en.20050929.5.4-061"2
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"Mr President, let me begin by endorsing much of what Mr Farage had to say in his pertinent observations about the state of trade policy.
However, I want to deal with another issue. Trade cannot be viewed in isolation. It is not immune from ethical and moral considerations. China needs our trade. The price attached can properly be more than financial. We cannot ignore the widespread abuse of human rights in China, particularly with regard to a harmless but tiny minority – namely practicing Christians. It is wholly unacceptable to have Chinese Christians in prison for merely expressing their Christian beliefs or distributing copies of the Bible.
Freedom of worship is a fundamental right recognised by most of us in Europe. Its denial in China is not something we can ignore to facilitate trade with a state that persecutes Christian people, whatever the mutual economic benefits might be.
I therefore call for a linkage between ongoing EU-China bilateral dialogue on human rights and the negotiations on trade. We should make progress on trade conditional on progress in securing and improving human rights. Liberalisation of trade requires liberalisation of human rights in China."@en1
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