Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-06-Speech-3-328"
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"en.20060906.23.3-328"2
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". – Mr President, we must congratulate the people of China on the progress they have made since the death of the tyrant Mao Zedong 30 years ago. Mao’s legacy of murder, oppression, suffering, misery, starvation and death is in a league of its own. He brought China to its knees. His instrument for enforcing this tyranny was, of course, the Chinese Communist Party, which still governs China. The recognition by Mao’s successor Deng Xiao Ping and his successors of some capitalist and free market realities has enabled China to progress economically to the point it has reached today.
However, at the heart of the Chinese economic phenomenon lies an unresolved contradiction: China’s new-found prosperity is based on capitalist principles applied by the Chinese Communist Party, which is the only political party in China. We have the curious spectacle of a communist party that no longer believes in communism applying capitalist ideas that it is not supposed to believe in. Its only real belief is in ensuring its own survival, and the European Union should not assist it in that aim by lending the kind of support that we have already seen.
Progress in China will inevitably be limited to the economic sphere for as long as the Chinese Communist Party retains power. Progress will not extend to freedom of association, freedom of speech and democracy. The Chinese people are at long last beginning to reap some of the material benefits of the capitalist system. But when are they going to reap the benefits of the Western democratic system? Mr Belder’s report rightly calls for political pluralism, an independent judiciary and for the EU not to lift its arms embargo until China properly addresses the situation regarding human rights and civil and political freedoms.
Mr Belder calls for a consistent and coherent policy towards China. Such a coherent policy should promote the interests of the Chinese people, but not the interests of the Chinese Communist Party. Therefore, we should not lift the arms embargo and we should continue to recognise Taiwan as an independent democratic State.
Unfortunately, I have to say that this report should be rejected because it advocates the further development of an EU strategy regarding relations with China. That would be bad for the Chinese people. It would also restrict the political and economic decisions of the United Kingdom and would dilute its influence and priorities. In the long run, that would also be bad for the Chinese people."@en1
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