Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-06-Speech-3-322"
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"en.20060906.23.3-322"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we wholeheartedly support the Belder report. It is a comprehensive report, it addresses all of the problems concerning relations between the European Union and China and it is based on the important debate that took place within the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for which I thank Mr Brok, who sought to thoroughly analyse the topic.
We hope for a broad consensus on this report, and so we call on the Socialist Group in the European Parliament to vote in favour, not least because we are committed to supporting the one-China policy, which underpins efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question by means of constructive dialogue.
The report certainly does not portray China as an enemy of Europe; quite the contrary. China is a very important partner in the sectors of trade and industry; many European companies find the kind of hospitality in China that allows them to discover new markets. However, if relations between the European Union and Beijing are to improve, and if both sides are to benefit in future, then definite rules must be set and must be complied with, just as there are fundamental human values, which, when they are violated, can make cooperation between the European Union and China a less positive prospect.
We are concerned about the undemocratic decisions made by the Chinese Communist party, the violation of human rights and trade union rights, the freedom of minorities, freedom of information and the Tibet question. The parliamentary group, which is following this problem closely and tabling and gaining approval for various amendments, has highlighted the issue of religious freedom: we are concerned about the Communist party’s appointing of bishops; it is like the Vatican appointing generals in the Chinese army; it is incomprehensible, and the freedom of so many Chinese citizens is being violated.
There is also the matter of the rules concerning economic and trade relations; we call on the Council and the Commission to commit themselves to protecting businesses in Europe and in other countries bordering Europe, particularly in the textile and footwear sectors. Mr Mandelson has sent out certain signals, but we must continue undaunted with regard to the protection of human rights, as must the Finnish Presidency, which I regret is not present in this House. For all of these reasons, we shall vote in favour of the Belder report and shall endorse certain amendments that also relate to environmental issues."@en1
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