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 Marco Cappato
on behalf of the ALDE Group
on the China-EU Summit

B6‑0548/2007

European Parliament resolution on the China-EU Summit

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the EU-China Strategic Partnership launched in 2003,

–  having regard to the 10th China-EU Summit, held in Beijing on 28 November 2007, and its conclusions,

–  having regard to the EU arms embargo introduced after the Tiananmnen crackdown of June 1989, as supported by Parliament in its resolution of 2 February 2006,

–  having regard to its resolutions on relations between the EU, China and Taiwan and security in the Far East,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Tibet and the human rights situation in China,

–  having regard to the build-up of missiles north of the Taiwan Strait,

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

A.  whereas, since the setting-up of the EU-China Summit mechanism in 1998, China-EU relations have strongly developed politically and economically,

B.  whereas the strengthening and deepening of EU-China relations will help to secure convergent views on action to tackle global challenges such as climate change, security, terrorism and non proliferation,

C.   whereas China has experienced impressive economic growth, even more so since its accession to the WTO,

D.  whereas WTO membership creates rights and obligations; whereas as far as the protection of intellectual property rights, national treatment and transparency are concerned, the Chinese authorities have not entirely and properly enforced WTO rules,

E.  whereas 70% of all counterfeit goods entering the European market come from China and this is also causing serious concern with regard to the security of the imported goods,

F.  whereas Market Economy Status should be accorded to China on the basis of economic rather than political considerations,

1.  Welcomes the further development of EU-China relations and their closer cooperation to deal with a wide range of issues;

2.  Notes that China and the EU have become each other's most important economic and trade partners;

3.  Calls on both sides to ensure a more balanced trade and economic partnership, which should lead to sustainable growth and social development, in particular in areas such as climate change, the environment and energy;

4.  Calls on both sides to strengthen their collaboration, in particular in areas such as climate change, the environment and energy;

5.  Calls on the EU monetary authorities to engage in a discussion with their Chinese counterparts in order to take measures to rebalance the euro and yuan rates and the EU's growing trade deficit;

6.  Is concerned at systematic violations of intellectual property rights; urges the Chinese authorities to step up their measures against these violations, in particular counterfeiting and piracy, which seriously harm the EU economy and which often represent a threat to consumer security;

7.  Is aware of the importance of the issue of Market Economy Status (MES) for China; insists, nonetheless, that China be granted MES only on economic and not political grounds;

8.  Welcomes the strengthening of the EU-China human rights dialogue;

9.  Recognises that China has now decided to have all death penalty cases reviewed by the Supreme Court, but remains concerned that China still carries out the majority of executions worldwide;

10.  Stresses that China's human rights record remains a matter of serious concern; calls on the Council to provide a more detailed briefing to Parliament in public session following each of the meetings of the EU-China human rights dialogue;

11.  Regrets that systematic violations of civil, political and human rights persist; calls, in particular, for concrete and urgent improvements in reducing – with a view to abolishing – political imprisonment, forced labour and violation of freedom of expression and religion, and in particular the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, such as the Uighurs; notes that the concerns about those violations should receive more focus in the build-up to the Beijing Olympic Games; calls on the EU to monitor the PRC's compliance with the host city contract;

12.  Urges the EU 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;

13.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to raise the issue of Tibet and to actively support the Dalai Lama's efforts in the dialogue with the Chinese authorities, in which significant progress has been lacking to date;

14.  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 Chinese authorities, publication of the list of political prisoners and their unconditional release;

15.  Calls on the Chinese authorities to establish a moratorium on executions during the Olympic Games in 2008;

16.  Draws attention to the concerns of the outside world, especially of Beijing’s regional neighbours, concerning the double-digit increase in China’s military spending every year since the mid-1990s;

17.  Strongly recommends that the EU arms embargo against China remain intact until progress is made on human rights issues; recalls in this context the need to include in further negotiations regarding the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements adherence to the EU embargo on arms trading with the PRC;

18.  Regrets that relations with China have made progress only in the trade and economic fields, without any substantial achievement as regards human rights and democracy issues; reiterates its demand for a binding EU code governing arms exports and calls, in this respect, on the Council not to lift the arms embargo and to find ways to facilitate dialogue, defuse tension and encourage disarmament in cross-strait relations, supporting Taiwan as a model of democracy for the whole of China;

19.  Expresses its deepest concern at the large number of missiles in southern China aimed across the Taiwan Strait; calls on the People's Republic of China and on the R.O.C. in Taiwan to resume political talks, and encourages both sides to take further initiatives aimed at promoting dialogue, practical cooperation and confidence building on the basis of mutual understanding and recognition in order to promote stability, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in east Asia;

20.  Is convinced that Taiwan is governed by the rule of law and respects human rights, freedom, and peace, meets all the requirements of UN membership and should be granted the right to apply under the name of its choice;

21.  Welcomes, in this regard, the comments of the EU High Representative for the CSFP on Taiwan's application for UN membership, but regrets the Commission's lukewarm reaction on this issue;

22.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Government of the People's Republic of China, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Board of the International Olympic Committee.