Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-06-Speech-3-356"

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"en.20060906.23.3-356"2
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"Mr President, when engaged in a partnership with a dictatorship, the crucial issue is to create a credible balance between economic and strategic interests on the one hand, and democratic values on the other. This report expresses serious concern over the latter, and rightly so. Indeed, we must face the reality that increased economic relations have not resulted in any real progress in the field of the rule of law. Also, experience shows that merely expressing concern over human rights has no impact on dictatorships. Therefore, our message for the EU-China summit should be that there will be no automatic progress in economic relations without real progress in the rule of law. The EU, as China’s largest trading partner, has the leverage to force China’s leaders to start implementing genuine democratic reforms. I have a few comments. The economic relations themselves need to be balanced. In China there is wholesale counterfeiting of EU brands, competition is distorted and intellectual property rights ignored. EU Members States are, in all probability, importing large quantities of goods produced by prisoners in laogai torture camps. That is a moral outrage. Secondly, there is Tibet. The EU must make it one of its priorities to insist that China grants Tibet cultural and religious autonomy, and also opens a dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Tibet is rated by Freedom House as being, along with Chechnya, one of the world’s two worst-off territories. The EU should stress the seriousness it attaches to this by appointing an EU special representative for Tibetan affairs. Thirdly, there is Taiwan. Taiwan-China policy should fully respect the democratic choices of the 23 million inhabitants of Taiwan. We should also insist that Beijing allow Taiwan to enter into practical cooperation with the World Health Organisation and other international bodies."@en1
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