On the occasion of the 36th round of the EU-China human rights dialogue, the European Union underlined, on Tuesday 10 July, the worsening situation of civil and political rights in China.
In a press release published at the end of the meeting, the European External Action Service (EEAS) says that this worsening situation "has been accompanied by the detention and conviction of a significant number of Chinese human rights defenders". The Human Rights Dialogue was held in Beijing on 9-10 July, with 9 July marking the third anniversary of the arrest and detention of more than 300 human rights defenders. The Europeans highlighted a number of individual cases to the Chinese.
By contrast, the EU underlined "China's progress on economic and social rights", notably the reduction of poverty and the creation of jobs. "China, 20 years after having signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has still not ratified it", the EU nevertheless regretted. The Europeans once again underlined "the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of human rights and the need to give equal weight to political and civil rights", according to the EEAS.
The promotion of the freedom of religion and belief and the rights of people belonging to minorities, especially Tibetans and Uighurs, was discussed, as was the death penalty, systemic problems in the criminal justice system (including cases of arbitrary detention), restrictions on freedom of expression and association, and the implementation of China’s foreign NGO activity management law.
The questions of migration and the protection of fundamental freedoms within the EU, particularly the protection of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, were also raised. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)