World Tibet Network News Monday, June 8th, 1998

Press Release by the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with China

Beijing/Shenyang, 2 June 1998

The European Parliament's 21-member delegation for relations with China held talks yesterday and today with senior representatives of the Chinese leadership in Beijing.

The delegation met Vice-Premier, Quiao Qichen, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples' Congress, Zou Jiahua, as well as leading NPC Standing Committee members from the Foreign Affairs, Nationalities, Financial and Economic, and Legal Affairs Committees.

"Our Chinese counterparts were extremely frank about most of the issues we discussed", said European Parliament Delegation Chairman Per Gahrton (Sweden, Greens). "They made no attempt to play down the fact that China's massive economic restructuring effort entails problems, and that they are expecting setbacks as well as progress". This applied in particular to millions of job

losses likely to follow the economic and administrative rationalization programmes now underway.

With economic growth in China slowing after the Asian financial crisis, the problem of finding new jobs for the unemployed presented an additional challenge. China was now keener than ever to encourage EU investment in the country.

The delegation also raised the question of Chinese compliance with the Kyoto accord on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to the director of the State Environmental Protection Agency, comprehensive programmes had been launched not only to control, but also to roll back pollution and emission

levels.

Human rights issues were raised with Vice-Premier Qiao as well as with NPC Standing Committee members. "My colleagues and I made it clear that the European Parliament believes there is no contradiction between prioritizing economic rights, as the Chinese say they are doing, and respecting individual political

and civic rights", said Gahrton. On the specific question of the alleged trade in human organs taken from executed prisoners, the Chinese insisted that - if such a trade existed - it was clearly illegal, and in no way condoned by the authorities. They would welcome any detailed information that might be available on the allegations.

But differences in view remain. "I asked the Chinese: how can it be that someone like Wei Jing Sheng can be considered a criminal in China, and a hero in Europe?", commented Gahrton. He also requested further information from his NPC counterpart concerning a number of alleged political prisoners.

The delegation also raised the question of Tibet and underlined Parliament's view that the Chinese government should hold talks with the Dalai Lama.

Finally, in conversations on China-EU economic and trade relations, the Chinese welcomed the European Parliament's consistent support for Beijing's WTO application.

The delegation continues its visit to China with stops in the industrial cities of Shenyang and Dalian to see at first hand how the country is implementing its industrial restructuring. The visit concludes next weekend in Macau and Hong Kong.