Published by: World Tibet Network News, Wednesday, Apr 17, 1996

By John Follain

PARIS, Apr 10, 1996 (Reuter) - France and China, who signed $2 billion trade deals Wednesday, were unable to paper over differences on human rights and failed to exchange diplomatic toasts at a banquet for visiting Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng.

Peng and French Prime Minister Alain Juppe ``agreed disagree'' over drafts of each others' prepared remarks touching Peking's attritude to human rights, French officials said on condition of anonymity.

The Chinese premier nevertheless signed trade deals with France Wednesday valued by Paris at $2 billion, although the ceremony was delayed by the rights dispute.

At a private meeting at the French Foreign Ministry ahead of the signing, talks between the two men went well until human rights came up, the officials said.

``There was no concesssion on either side, and therefore it was agreed that the toasts would not be delivered,'' they said.

Li had kept Juppe waiting for 90 minutes before the meeting could begin, and the two then spent another 90 minutes behind closed doors, delaying the signing ceremony and banquet.

In his remarks, Juppe had been expected to say that a durable Franco-Chinese partnership meant a political dialogue in which all subjects were discussed with no taboos.

He was expected to reiterate Paris' view that it sought a dialogue rather than a confrontation on human rights.

There was no word on what Li had planned to say.

Just before the dinner, some 2,300 protesters marched from Trocadero Square toward the Chinese embassy waving banners including ``Freedom for China and Tibet'' and ``Li Peng, murderer.''

The march was orderly but police barred protesters from getting within shouting distance of Beijing's mission. Police also prevented a delegation from presenting a letter addressed to the Chinese leader.

The demonstrators charged that, for the sake of business, France was ignoring Li's role in the crushing of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, China's repression of dissidents and its occupation of Tibet.

Foreign Minister Herve de Charette denied in a radio interview that France was turning a blind eye to human rights. ``There is no question of sacrificing human rights for trade. We are not putting our principles away in our pockets,'' he said.

After their private meeting, Li and Juppe attended a ceremony at which five trade accords were signed, the largest of which was a Chinese order for 30 Airbus Industrie A320 narrow-body planes worth $1.5 billion.

Also signed was a confirmation of earlier Chinese orders for three Airbus A340 long-haul aircraft worth another $390 million, and financing deals for an expanded Citroen car factory in Wuhan and for a gas liquefaction plant in Shanghai.

The two nations also signed a pact under which Paris will supply Beijing with an unspecified quantity of wheat over the next three years and a maritime transport accord giving it unrestricted access to Chinese ports.

Earlier in the day, police had stifled the first protest to mar Li's controversial visit.

Some 150 Amnesty International activists briefly unfurled a banner proclaiming ``Li Peng ignores human rights. We don't!'' across the central Champs-Elysees avenue before it was torn down by riot police armed with tear-gas guns.

Protesters blew whistles and displayed posters recalling the crushing of the 1989 student-led democracy movement in Beijing.

After an hour-long standoff in which police surrounded the demonstrators on the pavement, 157 activists were bundled into police vans and driven away, sirens blaring. Amnesty said they were later released after identity checks.

``China executes three times as many people as the rest of the world put together,'' said Michel Forst, head of Amnesty's French branch, before being led away. ``French leaders mustn't forget human rights when they negotiate trade deals.''

Earlier in the day, French industrialist Jacques Calvet, whose company PSA Peugeot-Citroen has two factories in China, presented Li Peng with a luxury XM Exclusive car.

``I like this car,'' a grinning Li said in English.