China - autonomous regions/EP resolutions/draft report

Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very glad to have this opportunity to fulfil a request of the European Parliament and to submit to you its position - assumed repeatedly and with firm political coherence for over 10 years - concerning the situation in the autonomous regions of the People's Republic of China: in Tibet, Eastern Turkestan and Inner Mongolia.

The history as well as the presence of the peoples of these three regions appears to be very similar: since the military annexation in the late 40's by China (Inner Mongolia in 1947, Eastern Turkestan and Tibet in 1949) they face continuous massive and government sponsored population transfers of ethnic Chinese, continue to struggle for their right to a real autonomy and suffer serious violations of their human and political rights including the economic, social and cultural ones.

As the result of the 50 years lasting repressive policy of the People's Republic of China, all these peoples are becoming a minority in their own homeland, are denied of the education and training in their language and of the work opportunities; their culture and religion are severely suppressed - just the vivid example of this is strong anti-Dalai Lama campaign in Tibet and 2 years' incommunicado detention of the 8 years old Panchen Lama; they are denied to enjoy the freedom of opinion, expression, press and assembly, when imprisoned are denied of fair trial, free choice of lawyers, visits of their families and appropriate medical care; they are subjected to torture and ill-treatment; in the frame of the so-called "Birth control programme" women are forced to sterilisation and abortion; their lands have been expropriated and the natural resources of their regions are being exploited and exported. The leaders of these peoples, often imprisoned for their activities for their right to self-government, continuo

usly ask the Chinese authorities to start a dialog for the settlement of this tragic situation.

The constant deep concern of the European Parliament about this situation have been reflected in 18 resolutions on Tibet, Eastern Turkestan and Inner Mongolia, approved by its plenary during the last 10 years. Moreover, in 5 resolutions out of 18 on the situation and the relations with China, the European Parliament explicitly referred to these issues as well. But it is not merely the quantity, but the contents of these resolutions that attempted to correspond with and respond to all the facts and new developments brought to the attention of Members of the European Parliament and the international community.

It is also important to stress that the political position of the European Parliament contained in these resolutions as well as in its other initiatives, is not reduced only to requests addressed to the Government and authorities of the People's Republic of China, but extends the obligation and the necessity to seek the solution also to the international community, particularly the European Commission and the Council and the United Nations Secretary General and UN General Assembly.

However, the most important and the biggest share of the responsibility to resolve the situation obviously remains in the hands of the Government and the authorities of the People's Republic of China. The European Parliament repeatedly urged the Chinese authorities to respect all the human and political rights of Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongols including the religious freedom and cultural autonomy; resolutely condemned the violations of their rights and the use of intimidating practices by China towards these peoples; called on the Chinese Government to cease immediately the forced sterilisation and abortion; expressed its concern at the conditions of prisoners; called for immediate halt to the environmental degradation and economic exploitation perpetrated by Chinese in these regions; called for the immediate reversal of policies that encourage the mass transfer of Chinese to Tibet, East Turkestan and Inner Mongolia; called for immediate release of all those arrested if not charged with internationally recogn

izable offences (including the young Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and his family, the Tibetans Gendhun Rinchen, Lobsang Yonten, Damchoe Pemo, Jigme Dorje, Lobsang Dargye, Pema Tsering, Lobsang Palden, Jampa Tashi, and Mr. Hada from Inner Mongolia) and for granting to all arrested the fair trial and the access to relatives and to a lawyer of their choice; urged the Chinese government to allow journalists and international observers the access to Tibet, Eastern Turkestan and Inner Mongolia and to allow them the access to trials and prisons; and urged the Chinese Government to resume negotiations with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, to embark on political dialogue with the Mongol opposition and to start a dialogue with all parties involved in the Eastern Turkestan issue.

Furthermore, the European Parliament repeatedly requested the European Commission to make the granting of assistance to China conditional on the observance of basic human rights and freedoms; to ensure in its relations with China that an appropriate percentage of funds, projects and scholarship is allocated to these regions; urged the Foreign Ministers of the EU Member States and the Commission to call for and support any move to substantive dialogue without preconditions to take place between the representatives of these regions and the Chinese Government; called on the Council and the Commission to appoint an EU Special Representative for Tibet; called on the Member States to use all the diplomatic means available to them to ensure that a resolution on the situation in China is approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights; called on the Governments of the Member States to have the question of Tibet's occupation and decolonization placed on the agenda of the UN General Assembly.

The European Parliament also endorsed the request made to the UN Secretary General by 1300 members of parliament from around the world - and promoted by the initiative of the Transnational Radical Party - that he meet the Dalai Lama as a first step in a UN-sponsored process of mediation between the Chinese Government and the Tibetan Government in exile.

All these requests make clear that the overwhelming majority in the European Parliament and its voters are well aware of the serious threat that the alarming situation in these regions represents for the respect of human and political rights, democracy and the rule of law, not only within these regions and the People's Republic of China as a whole, but also on the level of the world political stability. We are convinced that the rights are equal and indivisible and therefore the usual explanation of China that the Asian or Chinese historical and cultural background for understanding and practising these rights is unacceptable.

Let me therefore reiterate with urgency all the decisions and requests of the European Parliament and express the hope that they will finally meet appropriate answer from the side of the Government and the authorities of the People's Republic of China.

Enclosed: Sources: Resolutions approved by the European Parliament on the matter:

* Autonomous regions:

- Joint resolution replacing Docs. B2-1008, 1013, 1027, 1053 and 1070/87

Resolution on the situation in Tibet - Joint resolution replacing Docs.

- B2-1508, 1511, 1524 and 1540/88

Resolution on human rights in Tibet

- B3-551/90

Resolution on the sentence of death passed in Tibet on Lobsang Tensing, a 22 year old student

- B3-0132, 0139, 0169 and 0188/92

Resolution on human rights in China and Tibet

- A3-0369/92

Resolution on the situation in Tibet

- B3-0858, 0862, 0872, 0903 and 0929/93

Resolution on repression in Tibet and the exclusion of the Dalai Lama from the World Conference on Human Rights

- B3-1257 and 1307/93

Resolution on the detention of the Tibetans Gendun Rinchen, Loosang Yontam and Damchoe Pemo and other violations of human rights in Tibet

- B4-0275/94

Resolution on the sentence of up to 15 years' imprisonment pronounced against five Tibetans in China for 'counter-revolutionary activities'

- B4-0768 and 0826/95

Resolution on Tibet

- B4-0963, 0979, 0983, 1003, 1007 and 1011/95

Resolution on the situation in Tibet and the disappearance of the six-year old Panchen Lama

- B4-1499, 1516, 1522, 1544 and 1556/95

Resolution on the selection of the Panchen Lama and religious freedom in Tibet

- B4-0514, 0520 and 0525/96

Resolution on the resolution on China and Tibet submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the position of the EU countries

- B4-0636 and 0649/96

Resolution on human rights in Tibet

- B4-0199, 0220, 0240, 0258 and 0261/97

Resolution on Tibet

- B4-0289, 0296, 0311, 0323 and 0320/97

Resolution on the human rights situation in Eastern Turkestan (Region of Xinjiang)

- B4-0076 and 0097/98

Resolution on the appointment of an EU special representative for Tibet

- B4-0750/97

Resolution on the situation in Inner Mongolia and the sentence passed on Mr Hada, founder of the Southern Mongolian Democracy Alliance

- B4-0511, 0537 and 0538/98

Resolution on Tibet

* China (containing autonomous regions):

- B3-1429, 1450 and 1518/93

Resolution on the human rights situation in China

- A3-0011/94

Resolution on relations between the European Union and the People's Republic of China

- B4-0744 and 0838/95

Resolution on the organisation by the Chinese Government of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing

- A4-0198/97

Resolution on the Commission communication on a long term policy for China-Europe relations (COM(95)0279 - C4-0288/95)

- B4-0830, 0847, 0855, 0862 and 0872/97

Resolution on the European Union's position on the promotion of human rights in the People's Republic of China

* China general:

- Joint resolution replacing B3-1362, 1369 and 1425/91

Resolution on the Chinese political prisoners Mr Wang Juntao and Mr Chen Ziming

- B4-0255/94

Resolution on the ill-treatment of and medical concern about Qin Yongmin, a Chinese prisoner of conscience in Wuhan City, China

- B4-0341, 0405 and 0417/94

Resolution on eugenics in China

- B4-0878, 0890, 0892, 0909, 0914 and 0925/95

Resolution on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre

- B4-1013 and 1026/95

Resolution on the detention of Mr Harry Wu

- B4-1194/95

Resolution on the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing: Equality, Development and Peace

- B4-1504, 1505, 1508, 1545, 1550 and 1564/95

Resolution on the persecution of Wei Jingsheng

- B4-0168/96

Resolution on the recent earthquake in China

- B4-0772, 0778, 0792 and 0816/96

Resolution on the serious situation of Wei Jingsheng and the human rights violations in China

- B4-1258, 1268, 1301, 1311, 1321 and 1326/96

Resolution on the detention of Mr Wang Dan and the human rights situation in the People's Republic of China

- B4-0062, 0063, 0077, 0091, 0094, 0095, 0098, 0111, 0123, 0124, 0134 and 0142/97

Resolution on the 53rd session of the UN Commission on Human Rights

- B4-0359/97

Resolution on discriminatory measures taken by China against certain EU Member States

- B4-0496, 0500, 0510 and 0519/98

Resolution on the sale of organs of persons sentenced to death in China

* Special administrative regions:

- A3-0092/93

Resolution on the inclusion of China and Taiwan in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

- A3-0139/93

Resolution on GATT membership for Taiwan

- B4-0145, 0166, 0192, 0223 and 0232/96

Resolution on the threat of military action by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan

- B3-1573/93

Resolution on the Community's contribution to safeguarding human rights in Macao

- B3-1703 and 1748/93

Resolution on Hong Kong