Published by: World Tibet Network News, Monday, June 21, 1996
Beijing, 21st June: China today [21st June] expressed its indignation over a resolution that calls for the improvement of human rights in Tibet, which was passed by the Federal Parliament of Germany on Thursday [21st June].
When asked to comment on the resolution, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Shen Guofang said that the Federal Parliament of Germany discussed and adopted a so-called resolution on improvement of the human rights situation in Tibet on 20th June in spite of serious representations by the Chinese government.
"This action of the federal parliament is an open violation of the principle of the international norm and a gross interference in the internal affairs of China, at which we express our strong discontent and indignation," Shen noted.
He said that the German parliament's resolution concerning Tibet has hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and is detrimental to the relations between the two countries.
"Such perverse acts will eventually bring harm to Germany's fundamental and long-term interests," the spokesman said.
[Note: At a news conference in Beijing on 20th June, Shen Guofang said "the German Bundestag's insistence on discussing the resolution on the so-called Tibet issue despite China's repeated opposition and solemn representations [Standard Chinese: yan zheng jiao she] is a covert attempt to trample on the norms of international law and constitutes a brutal interference in China's internal affairs," China Radio International reported ( Beijing, in Standard Chinese to Hong Kong, Macao, the Zhu Jiang Delta and Southeast Asia 0900 gmt 20 Jun 96)
The radio reported him as saying: "Tibet is an inseparable part of Chinese territory. The Tibet issue is strictly China's internal affair with which no foreign government, parliamentary organization or individual has the right to interfere in any form. The German Bundestag's conduct will not only have a negative impact on Sino-German relations, but will also hurt Germany's own fundamental and long-range interests." ]
