(Brussels,7 April 1997)-- Human Rights Watch today welcomed Denmark's decision to introduce a resolution on China later this week at the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva and urged other members of the Commission to cosponsor the motion and pledge their active support. Human Rights Watch also sharply criticized Beijing's threats of retaliation against Denmark, noting the Chinese Foreign Ministry's statement that relations between China and Denmark could be "severely damaged in political, economic and trade areas."

"Other European Union (EU) member states such as France, Germany, Spain and Italy have shamefully traded off human rights principles and chosen to stay silent in the face of China's appalling human rights record," said Lotte Leicht, director of the Human Rights Watch Brussels office.

For months, the Chinese government has been aggressively pursuing a strategy to deter any action in Geneva, offering the carrot of business deals combined with warnings about avoiding "confrontations" that might interfere with closer economic relations.

When the Danish foreign minister, Niels Helveg Petersen, announced the decision to go ahead with the resolution over the weekend, he said he hoped that this would not hurt his country's economic relations with China where major Danish companies, such as Carlsberg brewery and various shipping companies, have interests. Denmark took on sponsorship of the action, following the collapse last week of a planned joint European Union motion on China, due to Denmark's principled commitment to the universality of human rights.

"It is absolutely critical that the U.S. and other EU members states including those who have been opposed to sponsorship of the resolution now strongly back the Danish initiative," said Ms. Leicht. "Denmark should be praised for taking the lead on a China resolution. If Beijing succeeds in muzzling the Commission by wielding its economic clout, the U.N.'s credibility will be seriously damaged."

Human Rights Watch/Asia Human Rights Watch is a nongovernmental organization established in 1978 to monitor and promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights in Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and among the signatories of the Helsinki accords. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, executive director; Cynthia Brown, program director; Susan Osnos, communications director; and Wilder Tayler, general counsel. Robert L. Bernstein is the chair of the board and Adrian W. DeWind is vice chair. Its Asia division was established in 1985 to monitor and promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights in Asia. Sidney Jones is the executive director; Mike Jendrzejczyk is the Washington director; Robin Munro is the Hong Kong director; Patricia Gossman is the senior researcher; Zunetta Liddell is the research associate; Jeannine Guthrie is NGO liaison; Mickey Spiegel and Joyce Wan are research consultants; Paul Lall and Olga Nousias are associates. Andrew J. Nathan is chair of th

e advisory committee and Orville Schell is vice chair.

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