MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

11.12.2007

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Hanna Foltyn-Kubicka, Ryszard Czarnecki, Brian Crowley, Inese Vaidere, Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Roberts Zīle and Ewa Tomaszewska,
on behalf of the UEN Group
on the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue

B6‑0545/2007

European Parliament resolution on the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Joint Statement of the 10th China-EU Summit, held in Beijing on 28 November 2007,

–  having regard to the public hearing held on 26 November 2007 by its Subcommittee on Human Rights on 'Human Rights in China in the run-up to the Olympics',

–  having regard to the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue rounds held in Beijing on 17 October 2007 and in Berlin on 15-16 May 2007,

–  having regard to its resolution of 6 September 2007 on the functioning of the human rights dialogues and consultations on human rights with third countries,

–  having regard to its resolution of 15 February 2007 on the dialogue between the Chinese Government and Envoys of the Dalai Lama,

–  having regard to its resolution of 7 September 2006 on EU-China relations and to its previous resolutions on China,

–  having regard to the UN Olympics Truce, as passed by the UN General Assembly on 31 October 2007 (GA/10650), inviting UN member states to observe and promote peace during the Olympic Games,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas any decision to initiate a human rights dialogue is taken on the basis of certain criteria adopted by the Council, taking into consideration, in particular, the EU's major concerns about the human rights situation on the ground in the country concerned, a genuine commitment on the part of the authorities of the country concerned, with regard to such a dialogue, to improve the human rights situation on the ground, and the positive impact which a human rights dialogue may have on the human rights situation,

B.  whereas the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games should constitute a historic opportunity for the improvement of human rights in China,

C.  having regard to the decision of the International Olympic Committee to hold the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the Government of China's international commitments in the document 'Beijing's Promises', which sets out the main ways of improving the human rights situation in China by expanding independent civil space and access to information, supporting domestic reforms and activities, and monitoring human rights progress,

D.  regretting that, despite the Chinese Government's repeated statements to the effect that it intends to ratify the ICCPR, ratification is still pending,

E.  whereas the EU-China Strategic Partnership is of great importance for relations between the EU and China, and whereas a genuine strategic partnership must be based on shared common values, but trade and economic relations between the EU and China have overshadowed the question of democratic reforms, respect for human rights and the rule of law,

F.  whereas, in addition to democratic values, credibility, stability and responsibility should constitute the fundamental basis of the relationship between the EU and China,

G.  whereas in March 2004 China included in its constitution a provision whereby human rights would be respected and guaranteed by the State; whereas China has signed but not ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),

H.  whereas the promise to improve the human rights situation, and in particular freedom of the media, in China was one of the keys to the International Olympic Committee's decision to hold the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing,

I.  whereas there are continuous disturbing reports of political imprisonments, particularly of journalists, human rights activists and members of religious and ethnic minorities, allegations of torture, widespread use of forced labour, frequent use of the death penalty and systematic repression of freedom of religion, speech and of the media, including the Internet,

J.  whereas the Internet portals 'Google', 'Yahoo' and a growing number of others have submitted to restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities, denying access to websites containing critical elements and words such as 'Taiwan', 'independence', 'Tibet' and 'Tiananmen',

K.  whereas several cyber-dissidents, including the nominees for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize, Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia, have been sentenced in recent months to imprisonment or 'house arrest',

L.  whereas China ranked 163rd out of 168 countries in the fifth annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index prepared by 'Reporters Without Borders', dropping from 159th in 2005; whereas China is the world's leading jailer of journalists for the eighth consecutive year, with 31 journalists imprisoned in 2006,

M.  whereas, due to the strict controls exercised by the Chinese Government over information about and access to Tibetan areas of China, it is difficult to determine accurately the scope of human rights abuses,

EU-China Summit

1.  Expresses its disappointment at the fact that human rights issues were not higher on the agenda for the EU-China Summit, in order to give more political weight to human rights concerns, and that the EU did not take the opportunity of the approaching of the Olympics to address serious human rights concerns in China;

2.  Calls, at the same time, for greater coherence and consistency on human rights, trade and security; urges the EU, therefore, to ensure that its trading relationship with China is contingent upon human rights reforms and calls on the Council, in this regard, to make a comprehensive evaluation of the human rights situation before finalising any new Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement;

3.  Insists that the EU arms embargo against China should remain intact until greater progress is made on human rights issues; reminds EU Member States that the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports includes, as a criterion, respect for human rights in the country of final destination of such exports;

Human rights in China in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

4.  Underlines that the Government must keep its promises with regard to improving the human rights situation in China as a necessary condition for successful Olympic Games – an event celebrating peace and cultural, racial and religious diversity, as well as sport, and in order to guarantee that the Olympics will lay long-term foundations for greater transparency;

5.  Considers that human rights concerns should receive more focus in the build-up to the Beijing Olympic Games; reiterates the need to respect universal fundamental ethical principles and to promote a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity, as enshrined in Articles 1 and 2 of the Olympic Charter;

6.  Stresses the EU's responsibility to act with one voice and work with its National Olympic Committees and EU-based Olympic sponsors to create a base for responsible behaviour in preparation for, during and after the Olympics;

7.  Is deeply concerned at the recent increase in the political persecution, related to the Olympics, of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, petitioners, civil society activists and Falun Gong practitioners, who are detained in camps or mental hospitals, or under house arrest, and calls on the Chinese authorities to put an end to these human rights violations;

8.  Calls on China to make concrete steps to grant freedom of expression, and to respect the freedom of the press, for both Chinese and foreign journalists; raises particular concerns about the lack of implementation of the new regulation on international journalists active in China, and urges the Chinese authorities to immediately stop censoring and blocking thousands of news and information websites based abroad; calls for the release of all journalists, Internet users and cyber-dissidents detained in China for exercising their right to information;

9.  Calls on the International Olympic Committee to ensure that China lives up to its promises of granting media freedom and to issue a political statement as soon as possible on the situation in China;

10.  Insists that China must respect its commitments and obligations as the host city for the Olympics, including making the host city contract publicly available;

11.  Calls on the Chinese authorities to put an end to the breach of the legally guaranteed labour rights of the estimated one million migrant construction workers employed on construction projects in Beijing, which are directly or indirectly related to preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games;

12.  Calls on the Chinese authorities to stop violating the fundamental right to housing through demolition of residential areas in Beijing and the forced relocation of their residents while building the 2008 Olympics-related venues and infrastructure;

13.  Condemns the arrest of two 'Agence France-Presse' reporters on 12 September, as reported by Human Rights Watch, which shows that the less stringent regulations for foreign journalists introduced in January 2007 and guaranteeing freedom of movement and freedom of interview, are being applied erratically; notes that BBC World Service reporter Dan Griffiths and seven foreign journalists were prevented from going to certain places and were registered at local police stations,

14.  Demands the same conditions for gaining information and expressing their views for Chinese journalists as for their foreign colleagues;

15.  Condemns the blacklisting of 42 banned categories of people, such as the Dalai Lama and associates, journalists and human rights activists, which prevents them from visiting China during the Olympics;

16.  Urges the Commission, the Council and the Member States to raise specifically the cases of the following human rights defenders: Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan, nominees in 2007 for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought; Niu Jinping, Zhang Lianying, Cao Dong, Chen Guangcheng, Li Heping, Guo Feixiong, Lu Gengsong Yang Chunlin, Gao Zhisheng and Gong Haoming;

17.  Regrets that no substantial progress has been made regarding the release of political prisoners incarcerated for their involvement in the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and, similarly, regrets that the Chinese authorities continue to ignore calls for a full and impartial inquiry into the events of 1989; calls for an official reassessment of the Tiananmen Square incident by the authorities;

18.  Calls on China to provide assurances that its security equipment will not be used against activists and members of civil society;

19.  Calls on the Commission, the Council and the international community to pay special attention to and monitor the human rights situation in the preparatory phase, during and beyond the Olympics;

20.  Calls on the Chinese authorities to reform the non-transparent state secrets system, which allows violations of the right to freedom of expression and access to information, and undermines the foundations for good governance and the rule of law;

21.  Urges China to ratify ILO Conventions 29 and 105 on the Elimination of Forced and Compulsory Labour; calls on China to give a written undertaking in relation to any given exported product that it has not been produced by forced labour in a Laogai camp and, if no such assurance can be given, insists that the Commission prohibit its importation into the EU;

22.  Expresses deep disquiet at the current clamp-down in the PRC on freedom of expression and free access to the Internet; repeats its requests to Beijing to refrain from intimidating, cracking down on or imprisoning those who advocate freedom of expression, whether the repression is directed at journalists or human rights activists or whether it makes information impossible to use by blacking out websites that do not conform to state censorship; condemns, therefore, the Internet censorship law passed by the National People's Congress and the existence of systems of Internet censorship collectively known as the 'Great Firewall of China';

23.  Asks the major Internet firms 'Yahoo' and 'Google', which have bowed directly and indirectly to Chinese Government demands for censorship, to revoke restrictions on spreading information to China;

24.  Asks the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to express its opinion on the human rights situation in China because this was a key issue in the IOC's decision to hold the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing;

25.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the accession and candidate countries, the Government of the People's Republic of China and Chinese National People's Congress, and the International Olympic Committee.